A Fighting Chance
by Dreamyin
Summary: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, all isn't easy, as this doesn't mean he will have the same identity... Will L be safe and Kira defeated? Discontinued for now...
1. Alleviate

**A Fighting Chance**

Summary: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, that doesn't mean he will have the same identity… or gender. FemLight/L.

**Chapter 1: Alleviate**

_No. No. No. No._

He was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face. His hair was wet and ruffled, but for once he could care less. The world was swirling around him, but he didn't allow himself to stop.

If he were to fall, he knew he wouldn't be able to get up again. And that was unacceptable. He simply had to get away, find some time to form a new master plan and then everything would work out again.

It had to.

The man continued moving forward, using all the energy he could still find within himself. He wasn't quite running, since he couldn't, but he continued going as fast as he could. Not a minute later he had slowly slipped into a haze that he couldn't get out of anymore. His primal instincts already had gotten a too strong hold of his thoughts.

_No! I don't want to die! _

The man continued to run, struggling every step as he desperately clutched his right shoulder where blood was streaming down his black jacket. The jacket itself looked like he had been rolling in some kind of muddy puddle.

The man looked like a mess.

Struggling forward – just a little further he told himself - his breath hitched, but he didn't allow himself to stop. Blood drops formed a trail behind him, which surely would allow his pursuers to find him, but he didn't notice or either ignored it. He had to get away. He had to flee.

_He had to survive._

He slipped further into his haze…and for a moment he was gone.

Suddenly he was a little more aware of his surroundings again. It took the young man a while before he realised that he was lying on his back on some cold and uncomfortable stairs. He couldn't really figure out how he ended up there, but he didn't care anymore either. His brain was already telling him he was going to die, and as much as he would fight it, he wouldn't be able to win.

_He had lived his live. _

That simple realisation made something in his brain snap. He groaned in pain, and suddenly his thoughts became clearer than ever. It was as if his mind was trying to think about everything at once. Everything he had ever ended up doing and feeling until this fateful day. His eyes widened slightly as images flashed before his eyes, and ever so slowly tears started to form in the corner of his eyes, yet they did not fall.

His breath hitched for probably the last time as a sudden pain in his chest surprised him.

_A heart attack; _his ever-sharp mind supplied. He shouldn't really be surprised, as Ryuk had warned him all those years ago.

Had he been able to, he would have let out a solemn chuckle as he remembered dismissing the thought at that time.

He had been so stupid... so naïve.

So... _innocent_ at first.

What the hell had he done to end like this?

"_Light-kun"_

There was only one person in all those years that had addressed him like that. Hearing his name being called by _him, _it gave him a little bit of strength to remain aware for just a little longer. His dull eyes regained its last focus for few more seconds, as the dying man stared surprised at the image before him. He didn't have enough strength to figure out whether this was his imagination or whether it was real, but he couldn't bring himself to really care as his eyes stared into those black familiar eyes before him.

_Has he come to gloat?_ He absently wondered, as he tried to search the other's eyes. The mixture of many emotions that he found in his archrival's eyes surprised him slightly. Those unique eyes that he would recognise anywhere.

L.

No matter how Light liked to deny it, he knew that he had missed the sugar-loving genius.

The lean hunched-over figure hovered over his fallen body and ever so slowly put his pale hand onto Light's chest, letting it rest where his heart was clenching painfully. The familiar soft drawl of the figure's voice caught Light's attention.

"_I'm glad…"_

"L…" His last breathe. There was so much he still wanted to tell him...

"… _that Light-kun was still in there after all."_

The sentence confused the young man. Yet, at the same time, he felt so much calmer than he had ever felt since… his last day without memories, he realised. Finally the tears started streaming down his cheeks as his eyes slowly shut, unable to say the words he wanted to say.

…_I'm so sorry._

Darkness.

"_I know Light-kun"_

Silence.

~ Scene Break ~ Nothingness ~

He was floating – though he wasn't really sure he could call it floating – through the darkness.

There were a lot of things he wasn't sure about at that moment. He felt peaceful, yet a part of him felt restless. He felt alleviated, yet he also felt like he was drowning at the same time. He was moving, but he didn't know where from, nor his destination. The movement itself was also indescribable. The closest what he could come up with was the sense of weightlessness, even though he also felt a weight was dragging him down, holding him in place.

He was just there. He was there every moment that passed.

How much moments had passed anyway? Did time have any effect on him, or was he frozen? He didn't know. He felt like he shouldn't care either, like he shouldn't even be considering this at all. Suddenly – or was it? - a soft voice rung through the darkness around him, sounding like a clear soft whisper.

"Yagami Light"

There was no warning, as right at the moment when the silence was broken by the sound of the name, a flash of green light blinded him. It came out of nowhere; it was just suddenly _there_. Near him, around him, coming from within his own body. Accompanied with the green…energy, Light's awareness seemed to return.

For one clear moment he felt like he was in heaven. Warm and peaceful.

The next moment he felt like he was drowning. He felt himself sink down at the heavy weight the sudden realisation caused by his memories.

He had killed _thousands and thousands _of people. He had lost his innocence by his own horrible stupidity.

He wanted to disappear, to hide as he regained the memories of his life. All at once, he remembered everything miniscule detail throughout his life. During his life, some moments and memories had seemed vague at times, most of them concerning the Death Note that had changed his life, but he had never concerned himself with it. Now the real situation hit him, he felt like he couldn't breath.

Killing had become as easy as writing on paper.

As breathing.

"Yagami-kun."

The young man's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his name, not realising that he had shrunk down into himself in pain, trying to hide from the horrible realisation that his now clean mind could provide him.

_He had done wrong._

_Horribly horribly wrong. _

The first thought that really rung in his mind since his death broke the dam, and it repeated over and over. He tried to keep the pain within himself, feeling like he didn't deserve letting it go, but the other uknown presence seemed to disagree and with a little gentle nudge of… energy, he lost control and couldn't stop himself as he let it out.

Light Yagami wept.

He wept for every death he had caused. He mourned for the grief he had caused people surrounding them. He mourned for his lost innocence. He apologised to the souls, putting his whole heart in it. He apologised to his family, his… friend.

He didn't know how long he kept going, nor did he consciously take notice the green energy twirling around him. It was trying to provide the little comfort it could give the weeping soul that had its innocence shred because of that ugly little notebook that had appeared on its path.

That dreadful notebook that many other souls had abused and used to kill relentless of the circumstances before Light had even come across it. Only a couple of previous users had had real pure intentions with it, like this unfortunate soul it was currently comforting.

Simply wanting to change the world into something better.

This man… no this _boy'_s soul didn't know how strong he had been by fighting against the darkness that that horrible thing possessed. The darkness wrapped itself around the victim's mind, changing it completely, and slowly poisoning it. The boy didn't know that no human's mind would have been able to fight against its dark influence.

The energy swirled around the 'body' again, trying to give a little extra support for the soul so it would not lose itself in this state, as that had happened to another unfortunate soul once before. It had taken decades for the energy to clean the soul, and even then it had taken a long time before it was strong enough again to re-enter the Cycle.

However, she knew that this one was strong. She had watched him and many others for a while before. He had gone through many lives already, many full with hardships and had gotten strong. He would make it, she was sure of it.

He just didn't realise his death yet.

He hadn't fully accepted his current death state either, as the current spirit still portrayed itself as the shell he had used in his last life. The shell of the seventeen-year-old boy before it had fallen to the power it possessed.

Ever so slowly, the soul stopped weeping and relaxed in her comfortable and gentle grasp. She already knew that this one was special, as she felt a connection she had yet to experience with any of the souls she had helped. She had to be careful not to feed him too much of her energy on accident though, as that might lead to unknown results, which in turn might be harmful.

So she waited patiently, for the event to occur, as it always would. It was one of the reasons why it was so dangerous for owners of the notebook to die with the death note in their possession. They could not allow_ it_ to follow its marked host into the Cycle.

She gently weaved around the spirit that had been lost in Nothingness, wanting to comfort it for the uncomfortable transformation that would follow. She followed the slow change in the appearance of the shell. The shell grew slightly, and became older.

The soul became tenser and tenser until it started trashing around, trying to get out of her grasp – away from her energy. Nevertheless, she was prepared. After all it was her job, and there was a reason why she had been chosen for it. A dark black energy fought its way from its body. The eyes snapped back open, glowing red in pure fury.

"Let me go." It demanded, growling at her.

"Leave." She commanded in return, calmly and firmly, not even moving an inch.

The struggle continued for a while, before it suddenly paused, and realisation appeared in those red eyes.

A hard high-pitched laugh was her answer. "Ah Vitae [1], what a surprise."

"Leave. _Kira-Kira [2]_." She repeated firmly, mocking the spiritual energy with the nickname it had received in his last venture.

She received a growl in response.

"Why would I listen to _you_, _Mulieris_ [3]?" The spirit spat the last word as if it were a curse word, and abrubtly gritted its teeth in pain as the so-called Vitae flared her energy in warning.

"I know of your dislike for the feminine Kira-Kira-_chan. _Do not test me." She hissed.

The dark energy tried to push the other away from the shell, and their battle of wills began. At first it seemed as if she would lose hold of Light's own spirit in the process, but she didn't allow that to happen. It would doom him to Nothingness, until the next soul-searcher might stumble on him again. Who knows when that would happen?

They continued their battle.

Eventually she had had enough and her green energy brightened to a great extent. The darkness tried to fight back, but she was too strong for it, and gradually the red glow in the eyes started to dim. With a frustrated angry growl the dark spirit removed itself from his host, knowing that it would be completely defeated otherwise, and vanished into the Nothingness.

Content, knowing that she had been able to protect this soul, she waited for it to calm down and to piece itself together as now a part of it – that was not even its own to begin with – was missing.

In the mean time, she would provide some comfort before the real explanation would come.

~ Scene Break ~

Light didn't know what to think. For once, he had actually difficulty following something that someone was explaining him. Sure he acknowledged that he was dead and all, and he surely was fully prepared to pay for his crimes. Even though she had explained that there was no need for him to suffer because he couldn't have done anything about it – which he didn't believe in the slightest – and he had actually done better than many others. He was still disappointed with himself.

Then there was the fact that she had changed herself into her own human shell so that he could have a more comfortable conversation with her. Light agreed, sure it was easier to talk to a 'real' person, but her appearance didn't make it easy for him not to get distracted. She was absolutely beautiful, stunning – there were no words enough to describe her, as she portrayed herself as a human woman. Light himself had difficulty understanding what she was, but something told him that whatever she was telling him, it had to be the truth.

But still…

"I'm getting a what?"

"You will be given a second chance little one."

"I killed people!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, you did. Yet you left the innocent ones alone as long as you could. They have been watching you fight with all your heart… until your last hope died." She didn't even have to say _whom _she meant. "He too wasn't meant to die. His death resulted of even more death that were not meant to be. We can understand that you were unable to stop it from poisoning your mind. Of course, I can not promise you that you go unpunished, but you will not have to suffer for eternity Light"

"Why?" He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Little one, you too had a bright life ahead of you until that Death Note dropped onto your path. That was not meant to be. The Death Note is too dark to be in humans' hands. So we will go back as far as possible. Still there are rules, meaning that we will not be able to stop it from falling into your old self's possession but we might minimise the damage by defeating the essesence of the Death Note in the human realm. I can feel that you want to make a difference."

Silence and acknowledgement.

Then realisation.

Eyes widened.

"Does that mean I am not going to be myself anymore?" Light asked, surprised, as he caught on to the "old self's".

"Yes."

"Does that mean I won't be able to see L?" Disappointment.

That was a difficult thing to accept. Not only his identity would be ripped away but also… _'L…I'm so sorry.' _

"L is not angry, Light. There is no need to apologise."

"…" The spirit in front of her tried to hide his shame, but being one of the 'Virtae', she wouldn't have any of it.

A little frustrated she started walking circles around him as she spoke. "It is a rule that the Shinigami are forbidden to allow any human being to get a hold of their Death Note. As they broke this Rule, we are allowed to break a Rule to fix this. Meaning that we are able to grand you a second chance and another chance to intervene if possible. I am not familiar enough with these processes to know this."

She turned back to him and let out a small sigh at Light's his expression. "See this is as a repayment for your suffering. However, since you indirectly did kill many people, I can't guarantee you a perfect second life. That is not for me to decide."

Light nodded in understanding, thought his thoughts were swirling.

"However, as we want to fight back against the Shinigami's actions, we are _asking_ you to aid us in your life." She continued. Light knew that it wasn't really a matter of asking him, but he immediately agreed anyway.

He was going to get a change to set it right. He still couldn't fully wrap his mind around the concept.

Virtae smiled, clapping her hands together in joy. "Good. Now of course, there are some other measurements to be taken before you go. First of all, you will not be allowed to remember all of this." She made a gesture around them. "Second, you won't remember everything from your previous life. You might have flashes to aid you, but there are more rules that even we need to follow concerning interaction with the mortals."

Light nodded again, not really knowing what to say.

"Last…"

She paused as she looked at him. Light noticed the corner of her lips twitching in amusement.

Suddenly he felt a little bit of dread as she directed her every so sweet and innocent smile at him.

"You do remember that we usually change gender every rebirth, don't you? The fact that you have been male two times in a row in your last two lives..." She received a blank expression in response, and she sighed. "– Yes, I'm withholding those memories of your past lives from you as it wouldn't be fortunate if you remember those now, since that would take too much time that we don't have. " She quickly interrupted herself as she saw his questioningly glance, then she_ grinned._

"_Anyway_ as I was saying."

Light eyes widened, already having connected the dots…

Awkward.

"I'm going to be a girl aren't I?"

'Virtae just smiled sweetly. "Aw, you are so smart little one! I like you already." She said, patting his cheek affectionately. Then before Light could protest or ask any questions she returned to her original form and started circling around him at such high speeds that the green energy surrounded him completely before everything went white.

"Wai-" He tried to protest, as he still had questions, but he was already gone.

"Good luck, little one"

**~ End Chapter ~**

After reading many, back into the past fanfics in many different fandoms , I decided that there weren't enough on DN. That combined with the fact that I wanted to put a… less used (gender) factor into the mix, I hope I will succeed in writing an enjoyable story for you guys. Enjoy!

Also Please Review! Let me know what you think and feed me some Inspiration! Inspiration is everything!

~DreamYin

Vocab:

[1] Vitae– Latin word for 'life'.

[2] Kira-Kira - is japanese for 'glittering'.

[3] Mulieris – Latin word for 'grown woman'


	2. Fresh Start

**Summary**: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, it isn't all that easy, as it doesn't mean he will have the same identity… or gender. FemLight/L.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Death Note characters, but I do like to place my claim on Haruko's character.

**Note**: Improved a little bit on the first chapter. Please don't hold me responsible for any mistakes; I will correct them later when I find them.

Meet Haruko!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Fresh Start**

Light felt himself falling, falling so unbelievable fast, as he was surrounded by the green light around him. Suddenly, everything became darker… almost as dark as the place he had come from. Though this was a different darkness. He, no _she_ felt warm here. Curled up into herself, she felt content in the warm liquid surrounding her. She heard a woman's voice speaking to her, singing to her and the comforting sound of the woman's heart beating above her.

It was a strange experience, but ever so peaceful.

_Welcome to your new life, Light Yagami._

The little awareness that the spirit had left acknowledged the voice, and finally it allowed itself to fully bond with the new and young female body.

After spending a few weeks more in this warm place, the baby girl was born. She didn't like the birth. It was painful and she suddenly felt so cold without her mother's warmth surrounding her. She didn't even waver to let her protests be known to those around her.

"Ah feisty one this one is."

The words that were said blurred together, and the newly born baby couldn't comprehend what they meant. Nor did she understand what was going on around her. Still, as soon as she felt herself be placed in the arms of the one woman she had gotten to know very well in the last couple of weeks, hearing her heartbeat again her right ear, she stilled.

Warm brown eyes looked down upon her, full with warmth and motherly love.

"Welcome to the world, my little sunshine of my life, my little Haruko."

The newly born baby couldn't understand those words either, but she could feel the warmth and love the voice provided. She was content with that fact alone.

~Scene Break - Haruko~

Too bad for little Haruko that this peaceful life and love was not meant to last for long.

Four years after she was born her mother died in an car accident. A stupid mistake from a drunken driver had her killed within an heartbeat as she tried to protect the 'sunshine of her life' from the incoming car. She succeeded, at the cost of her own life. Her father, feeling as if he could have prevented it, sunk into depression.

The image of her loving father, whom used to throw her in the air, dissapeared and made place for an angry alcoholic who seemed lost without the love of his life next to him.

This new daddy scared her.

The next years of her childhood were spend in near continues darkness, as without the love her mother first provided, she couldn't find a reason to shine.

Her father eventually disappeared, leaving her on her own, and never came back.

She couldn't really make herself to miss _him, _as to her she had lost her real father the moment he heard her mother was gone.

She couldn't deal very well with the darnkess on her own though.

It scared her.

Finally, years later, she met the woman and men that gave her a reason to smile again.

A new chance at a better life. A life lived at their orphanage, Ai's Orphanage.

Yet even there, her secret self-proclaimed curse seemed to haunt her.

~Scene Break – About 19 years after birth – Ai's Orphanage ~

He was close… just a little more.

_Creak…_

The stair's step protested as a colourful clothed foot stepped on it. At the sound, the owner of the colourful striped sock twitched in annoyance as his foot's movement stilled immediately. Ever so slowly, the weight of the foot was carefully removed. The foot shifted a little to the right, where its owner knew the step wouldn't make any sound.

_Crea- _Silent curse.

It at least shouldn't have made any sound.

He hoped _she_ hadn't heard that.

He shifted his foot a little more the right and slowly tested the wood for any other protests. He really had to fix those annoying creaking stairsteps sometime. Fortunately the spot was 'creak-free' and the man moved his other foot, which was currently situated three steps higher than the other, to settle right beside it.

He let out a deep sight as he absently swiped a straw of his shoulder length blond hair out of his face. Considering his next course of action, he silently listened for any signs of having been noticed.

He deemed it safe for now.

Content with this fact, the man continued moving ever so slowly down the stairs. As he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he was slightly out of breath and had to lean against the wall to rest for a bit. He glanced at the door on the end of the short hallway. It was the door that divided his own living space from the living area of the small orphanage he had built up over the last eight years.

Surely he would be able to slip out of the house for a while?

Sure he knew that it probably wouldn't be a very good idea, but he was getting restless.

Not that _she_ would care for that reason when she found out…

Pondering, he silently opened the door to slip through it. His eyes immediately scanned the small group of children present in the room. They were all sitting on the ground, forming a circle around the oldest girl present, whose dark hair that had a slight red hue to it. She moved her left arm dramatically as she continued reading the book in her right hand out loud and the children were listening with big attentive eyes.

The girl was quite tall, being 1.72 meter (A/N: about 5'8 inches) and was already developing womanly curves. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness as she amused the children around her with imitations. Her hair ended halfway her shoulder-bladed, and longer bangs fell around her face, and a few shorter ones on forehead. Her hair contained a few thick orange-coloured streaked situated near her left temple, which was one of the few features that would have made her stand out from other people.

He smiled briefly as he remembered the day that she had gotten back home with her new haircut. She had been inspired by a few of his old photo's - where he himself had some red strokes through his hair - she had found a few years ago. He knew that it was in his honour that she had done it. In contrast with some other parents he had been very cool with that, silently encouraging the rebellious side of her.

She needed to act more like a teenager after all.

She had been forced to grow up too fast.

And not only because of her bad youth.

That thought whipped the smile of his face, knowing how many responsibilities she had taken on herself for the last few years. Ever after she had heard of his illness – he had really done his best to hide it, but nothing could ever stay a secret from her- it had only become worse. It didn't help that she had finished school early, as she had been allowed to study at home because they couldn't afford someone to take care of him during his weak periods.

She had already finished school for two years, but he had yet to see her make any attempt to even search for a college she might be interested in.

He felt guilty for that every day.

Still he didn't know what he would do without her.

Sometimes he was feeling so unwell that he was unable to take proper care of the children, and had no choice to leave the job to her. He knew that she deeply cared for the children, considering them the family she never had. This love was clearly returned by the children, and none were jealous that she was the only real one adopted by the orphanage's owner.

He shook his head, deciding that he had to focus on his mission, and would ponder about her future later.

He pressed himself again the wall, and sneaked towards the door. As he arrived his destination, he carefully felt into the pouch of his jacket to retrieve the key he had put into it just half an hour ago.

Only now it was gone.

Brown eyes narrowed in confusion, before widening in realisation.

_Oh no._

Their newest addition seemed to have taken it.

He sighed in resignation and he glanced back at the room.

_I love you dearly Mioko-chan, but we really have to find a way to break that habit of yours. _

His eyes shifted the other side of the room. Maybe he would be able to sneak to the closet? He was sure that the spare keys were still in there.

The only real obstacle would be his dear daug-

"Dad, you shouldn't be moving! The doctor practically forbade you to come out of bed with this cold!" A girl's cut through the murmuring of children's voices. The story time had ended. Though he had the suspicion she had already noticed him sneaking away as soon as he had entered the room.

Damn. She knew him far too well.

And he couldn't help but love her for that.

~Scene Break~ Yagami Residence ~

He was finally done with the work for today. He sat back with a deep content sigh. Deciding to go downstairs, the young man pushed himself from the desk and was about to go downstairs, when he saw the screen of his small television turn static. Interested, he turned to the screen and stared at it and saw a figure of a man appear.

All in all he looked like a professional businessman with a very high status, and knowing this fact fully well. The young man couldn't help but scoff at the man's attitude. Who was this _Lind L. Taylor_ Anyway?

"We interrupt your programming to bring you an important message from the ICPO. This is being broadcasted all over the world."

Now that caught the teenager's attention. "Japanese voiceover is provided my translator Yoshio Anderson." Whatever announcement the teen had been expecting, it wasn't one he received.

"My name is Lind L. Taylor, widely known as 'L'."

The young man's eyes widened slightly. Another pair of red eyes watched the interaction with amusement.

"Hyuk. Now _that's_ interesting."

~Scene Break – Ai's Orphanage ~

His daughter was glaring at him, awaiting his excu- fully understandable explanation.

He gave his daughter a wide sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah Haruko-hime [1], I feel fine! I don't want you to worry so much about me. I will be back in a bit." He tried to wave her off as he tried to shuffle around her towards the closet on the other side of the room.

"Don't _Hime_ me _Andrew!" _The man flinched at the sound of his name. He loved it when she called him Dad, but that only made her using his real name in these kinds of situations more painful.

"Haruko-h" he paused… "Haruko… please?" He put his hands together in front of him.

"Da-"

"There is this _big _sale at this _large _store and this… thingie that I _really_ want to buy, and-"

"Dad..."

"and I really have to deliver get this one package from... err- the bank, because-"

"_Dad…" _

Ok, it seemed that silly excuses wouldn't work this time. He sighed and looked at her pleadingly.

"Please Hime, I just want to visit her."

A pause.

The mention of 'her' made the features in the girls face soften as she run her fingers through her orange hairlock. Something he knew, she usually did when she was considering something. She glanced at him… then swiftly put a hand on his forehead to check his temperature and sighed.

"Fine… " Haruko relented. "Do you want to go alone or have some company?"

She glanced uncomfortably at the window, where one could see that the sky was already getting darker.

She was too kind, Andrew thought.

"You don't have to come with me. I would like to go alone this time." She nodded, looking slightly relieved but worried at the same time. Though it wasn't as if she hadn't been expecting the answer anyway, as he usually went alone. He smiled softly at her for understanding.

"Well, make sure you keep warm and don't stay out too long _and _as soon as you feel even the _slightest _bit ill! -" She was interrupted as she felt a pair of fingers on her lips.

She locked her light brown eyes with his own darker ones, and Andew grinned at her as he finished. "I will go home and if I feel that I won't make it or even have the slightest problem I will call you." He kissed her forehead, having the advantage of being about a head taller than her.

Being a nineteen-year-old woman, she refused to say that she was pouting, but the grinning face of her father told her otherwise.

"Don't interrupt me like that." She grumbled before giving him a quick hug.

"Groceries?" He asked.

"Just the usual, though you might want to buy a few more lollipops, Mioko-chan is going through them like crazy." Haruko smiled innocently.

"Just because you don't want to share your own." He gave her a knowing smirk.

She put her hand on her chest, acting hurt. "That's just it! I did share! She is even more addicted to them than I am!"

"Aw, I can't have that happen to my poor little Haruko-hime. I will get you more" He patting her head as if in a comforting way.

"Just go old man!" She proclaimed, pushing him towards the door.

Laughing he turned to the door, and reached into his pocket before he remembered. _Ah Right_ _Mioko_-_chan. _

Haruko caught his expression, and sighed when she suddenly felt a small pair of hands clutching the back of her shirt. With a quick glance she confirmed that it was indeed Mioko-chan hiding behind her. It wasn't difficult to put the pieces together of what was going on.

Andrew directed his attention to a little cute and very shy girl that was currently hiding behind Haruko. The little girl knew that she wasn't allowed to do what she had done, but she couldn't help it. Hoping not to unleash anger from her new father figure she had quickly found refugee near Haruko, hiding her face in the back of Haruko's shirt.

Haruko and Andrew exchanged wary glances but didn't comment. Andrew crouched down to the girl's eyelevel, so he wouldn't intimidate the eight-year-old as he gently spoke to her.

"Mioko-chan… can I have my keys back?"

She hid further behind his daughter. "I'm sorry!" She cried out, tears forming in her eyes.

Haruko let out a soft sight. "It's alright Mio-chan."

Andrew nodded in agreement. "Mio-chan, I'm not angry. We both know you can't help it. That is why we are practicing, remember?"

She gave a timely nod in agreement. They had been practicing for a while already, and while she had improved drastically, she was still disappointed.

"Can I have them back please?"

Mioko quickly handed the shining keys back, daring to take a look at his eyes before looking at the floor again, probably embarrassed that she had picked his pocket again. She was relieved that he really wasn't angry.

She really liked him after all.

Haruko patted her head in encouragement.

Mioko had been living in the orphanage for about half a year, making her the newest member of the orphanage. She had a troubled past as her father had a big debt he had to pay off. It was her father who had taught her to pick pockets on the street. Unfortunately he had sometimes tended to be quite… forceful in his lessons, resulting in Mioko forming an obsession with picking anyone's pocket who came too close.

Though that wasn't the biggest problem. It was the fact that she was so good.

She was incredibly freaking sneaky that it was nearly impossible to notice that you were being robbed. You nearly had to keep track of her movements to make sure she didn't steal something from you.

Because of this obsession, the larger orphanages couldn't deal with her actions. The latest caretaker nearly had to move her to an orphanage for real problematic children – the stories about them weren't pleasant at all - before Andrew found her and had immediately taken her in after getting to know her situation.

No way he was going to let a eight-year old girl move to such a horrible place.

"She will be a beautiful girl. I can only be sorry for you that you don't see her potential." Those were the words he said to the previous caretaker.

Looking down, Haruko agreed. Mioko was a wonderful little sister.

She wasn't the only one with a problem though, as there were many children in the orphanage that had some sort of problem or obsession. It was one of the reasons why Andrew and his wife built the orphanage. Tragically, the love of his life – literally as her name was Ai - passed away two years later. Haruko had been the first to enter, and after a year she had been adopted.

She remembered how much she had loved her new mother.

Ever since her dead, Haruko had taken up the role of the big sister for the children, sometimes even that of the mother, and helped by trying to solve the issues the children had. Andrew's experience with psychology had taught her a lot, and there already were a lot of children whom they had helped.

Now it was Mioko-chan's turn.

"I will practice again with you tomorrow afternoon again alright? This time on the streets." Haruko promised.

The big eyes directed at her said enough. She didn't think she was ready. "You are doing better Mio-chan. We will go slowly." She assured the little girl.

The girl smiled at her, which Haruko returned.

Andrew also smiled at the little girl, softly ruffling her short black hair with affection. Her big grey doo-like eyes glanced up at him.

"I will see you both soon. Now don't do anything that I wouldn't do while I'm away" He flicked Haruko's forehead as he already knew what she kind of come-back was thinking of.

"Yeah yeah, you just do the same." She gave a quick peck on his cheek and went back to the kids.

"Katsu! How many times did I tell you _not _to-" Her voice was suddenly drowned out by a loud laughter from a boy.

He shook his head in amusement, as he got his jacket and left.

Haruko glanced at his leaving form. "Tch… _men_." Her left corner of her lips twitched every so slightly.

~ Scene Break ~ Unknown Hotel Room ~

The room was dark. The man silently reached for the light as to make sure he wouldn't bump into anything as he moved towards the young man sitting in his… own unique… way in the chair. The young man hadn't given any indication of having noticed him, but he knew he had.

He was far too observant not to notice. Putting the plate with cake and the cup of tea on the small table on the man's right, he was about to move before he stopped and waited patiently.

After a few minutes the young man finally turned his gaze on him.

"Yes Watari?" He murmured softly.

"Ryuzaki, you haven't taken a break in days… "

The so-called 'Ryuzaki' hummed absently, his eyes scanning through a list of criminals again.

Knowing fully well that he was just being ignored again, the old man sighed tiredly.

_Too stubborn for his own good. _

"Ryuzaki."

"Yes Watari?"

"Let's take a break tomorrow."

Silence.

"There is this excellent bakery not far from here." Watari wasn't above bribing his charge if it ment that L would agree.

Watari didn't move as the young man's piercing gaze locked with his. Catching a certain flicker in his eyes that he had been looking for, Watari mentally patted himself on the shoulder, knowing that L would take the bait. He waited patiently, and after a while, the black-haired man sighed.

"As you wish."

Watari smiled as he walked out of the room.

The figure in the chair returned his attention to his laptop, but not before an amused huff escaped his lips.

Watari knew him far too well.

~ Scene Break ~ Graveyard ~

"Oh Ai, you should see her. She is growing up into such a bright woman." He smiled brightly at the white gravestone, his fingers tracing of her name, as if caressing it.

"I just wished it would have turned out differently for us." He sighed sadly, before he coughed heavily.

A little too heavily for his liking.

He straitened up again, and moved his thick jacket a little closer around him. _I guess that's my cue. I have stayed out a little too long. Haruko will have my head if I don't leave now. _

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small pebble. Warming it slightly with his hands he once again crouched down to put it on the arranged pile that was already present in front of a couple of beautiful flowers.

"Till next time, Ai-hime."

His eyes regarded the stone a little longer, tearing up slightly. Still, he refused to let the tears fall.

"I miss you Ai."

A couple of minutes later the only sign of him having come by was that one extra little pebble on the top of a large pile of small pebble, all of them having a little heart carved into it's surface.

**~ End Chapter ~**

Did I manage to get a few tears from anyone?

No? Ah well….

For those who are confused: Light is reborn as Haruko. Haruko's mother died at age 6, and her father became depressed and eventually left her. She went to an orphanage herself, and was eventually the first child in Ai's orphanage. Two years after Andrew and Ai started the orphanage, Ai died. Now 19 years old, Haruko has been adopted by Andrew and decided to care for Andrew and the children. Mioko is the newest addition to small orphanage's group of children, and has nearly a compulsive disorder concerning pickpocketing that Haruko and Andrew try to help her get rid off. That's all for now!

~Dreamyin

Vocab:

[1] Hime – means Princess


	3. Initiative Break

**Summary**: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, it isn't all that easy, as it doesn't mean he will have the same identity… or gender. FemLight/L.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Death Note characters, but I do like to place my claim on Haruko's and Mioko's characters.

**Note**: Improved a little bit on the first two chapters. Please don't be to harsh on me for any mistakes; I will correct them later when I find them, or you can let me know of course!

Now the real fun can begin!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Initiative Break**

~ Ai's Oprhanage ~ 

It was a beautiful and sunny day.

Haruko swiped her forehead as she surveyed the dozen of children that had spread themselves over the backyard. All of them were carefully going through the movements of the kata that she had taught them a few minutes ago.

She walked through the group, and sometimes stopped a few of the children to correct their stances.

"You have nearly perfected the kata Katsu, but make sure to raise you leg a little higher in the second kick." She commented as she gently tapped the leg to indicate which leg she meant. The usual loud boy nodded silently at her and exactly did as she just told him.

'Just a little higher' Haruko thought and waited for him to go through the kata again.

Then she held up her hand to the height she wanted him to reach – which she knew he could – and waited for him to him to kick it.

He did so.

As he glanced at her, she nodded approvingly. He quickly looked away and continued to throw a couple of punches in the air, not wanting to show her the small blush en smile that was forming on his face.

She smiled in amusement as she moved to another boy next to him, knowing that Katsu still had trouble accepting approval and compliments when he wasn't being loud and slightly obnoxious.

Deep down that annoying, loud and hyperactive attitude, he was really a sweet boy.

Though at some moments it was more difficult to notice.

At least he was a hard worker, especially when it came to sport and fighting. She approved of that, as it helped him get rid of some of his energy.

Which was exactly the whole point of this Saturday morning exercise session.

Moving her attention to a girl named Kazue in front of her, she corrected a little of the girl's footwork and told her to continue. Watching as the girl halfway automatically shifted back to her original stance she gently tapped the foot with her own, and the girl nodded as she shifted it back again.

"It's alright Kazue, just make sure to mind that footwork. Start at the slowest pace, make sure you place that foot right and then slowly speed up again alright?"

"Hai Sensei!"

Haruko shook her head in amusement as she continued her routine. Half an hour passed, of which the last half was spend with a quick spar between the kids. She was of course the referee and more then once had to break up a pair of boys who seemed to take it a little too personal.

As last came the ten minutes in which they could try to fight her all at once in groups of five. Haruko was proud to say that she was good en fast enough to defend herself against them, even if they weren't very good yet.

When she was sure everyone was tired – and some slightly grumpy of the fact that they had still lost - she dismissed them to their rooms to freshen up.

"Make sure you are on time for lunch!"

"Hai!" The children chorused as they ran away laughing.

Haruko smiled as she watched them walk away before turning to Katsu who had remained behind. He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Want to spar again?" She asked as she shifted into her jiujutsu stance.

She had been teaching him a few extra moves, as he was one of the few children that were really interested in fighting and sports.

"Ha you are going down this time!" He proclaimed, shaking his fist as to prove his point – which it didn't.

Haruko winched at the volume of his voice. He surely was cocky for a fourteen-year-old boy. Especially since it was the same fourteen-year-old-boy who was soon lying back on the ground with a small groan.

The process repeated a couple of times before Haruko proclaimed that she had to go.

She still had to help Mioko today.

"You are getting faster." She nodded, and smiled as he suddenly became shy again. For a moment she thought he was going to stop hiding behind his façade for a while, but he quickly replaced his mask.

She sighed, knowing that they were slowly improving.

"You are still much faster." He grumbled.

"I'm sure you will eventually be able to beat me."

He rubbed his head as Haruko helped him up. "You surely hit hard for a girl."

That earned him another playful whack on head.

"Itai! [1] Meanie!"

~ Scene Break ~ The streets of the Kanto district ~ A few hours later

"Haruko-san I don't know-"

Haruko glanced at the nervous young girl and sighed

"Mioko-chan… what did I tell you about the suffix?" Haruko chided the girl gently, knowing that she slipped back to her over polite nature when she was nervous.

"Ah…" The girl blushed and mumbled softly, as she looked down at her lollipop. "… that I could drop it."

"Right Mioko-chan! Now you can do this, and if it goes wrong what will we do?"

"Put it back where it came from." She suddenly said brightly, knowing that she could do that.

"Right, so don't worry about it alright?" Haruko patted her head in encouragement before taking her hand and leading her into one of her favourite streets.

Mioko seemed to recognise it too, as she shyly tugged onto Haruko's hand.

"Haruko-s… onee-san [2]?" The smile she received in reply gave her enough courage to continue. "Could we go to your bakery when we are done again?"

"Sure Mio-chan. If you do your best today." Haruko agreed, knowing that the little girl would do her best with everything she did.

"Hai!"

~ Time Break ~ About an hour later~

Haruko followed the girl patiently as she walked through the small crowd of people that passed her. Even though having her attention nearly fully on the girl made it a bit harder to weave through the crowd, she had had enough practice in the last few months to do it without any problems.

She kept a close watch on the girls body language and it wasn't that difficult for her to notice the small waver in the girl steps as a business man with large pockets in his jacket passed her.

Would she?

Mioko-chan quickly turned around, walking away quickly, her right hand clenched in a fist.

She had resisted again.

Haruko felt herself smile proudly as Moiko quickly continued her walk, refraining from pulling the wallet – which she just knew was in there – from the pocket.

"Good Moiko-chan!" She called out to her in encouragement, only having to gently warn the girl four times since they had started the practice session.

The girl turned around, blushing slightly but her bright smile showed her enthusiast.

They continued for another ten minutes, before Haruko decided that it was time for a break.

"Haruko-onee-san I'm doing better aren't I?" Mioko asked, her questioning grey large eyes looking up at her.

"Yes Mioko-chan, it is going loads better." She agreed taking the girl's hand and pulled her with her in the direction where the bakery was situated.

Haruko felt Mioko automatically shift her attention to her pockets. It was another little practice that they had developed while walking through crowds. Haruko would put something harmless in her pockets, which Mioko should try to resist pulling out.

This way Mioko would be less easily distracted by the crowd around her and practice at the same time.

After all, if she were to slip up, the only thing that she would have was a red lollipop that Haruko had in her pockets.

Which was much better than having stolen a wallet or a very expensive watch and being unable to track down the owner.

Haruko glanced down when she felt something poke her pocket, and quickly saw Mioko snatch her hand away as if she had been burned.

Haruko shook her head in amusement.

Somehow the girl could resist a big wallet filled with a large amount of cash just moments ago, but when dealing with a tasty lollipop she was still having trouble.

"Let's go Mioko-chan." She said as they headed to the bakery.

"Hai" The girl whispered, holding her hand tightly as she forced herself to keep her attention to Haruko's pocket, instead of allowing her current defence –which was walking away – take over.

She was determined to get better at this.

She would make her new family proud.

~Scene Break ~ Another street in the Kanto district ~

A pair of men calmly walked through the crowded streets.

"'Walter', I must be reminiscent of the fact that I am not fond of this initiative break of yours." A young man clad in baggy jeans and a white long sleeved shirt drawled to the man walking next to him.

The only difference with his usual attire was the fact that the detective had actually agreed to wear a slightly baggy black jacket and a pair of tennis shoes that seemed to have seen better days.

"A short break will do you no harm 'Dave'." The elder man assured the younger man, not bothering to hide his amusement as he watched the young man tug uncomfortably at the dark blue hat he used to cover his hair.

The only reason why 'Dave' had even agreed to come out of his room was because he was disguised as 'Dave'. The hat he wore, that besides hiding his hair, also had a line of fake hair attached to the edge. This way it looked as if he had blond hair that slightly drew over his eyes.

Adding the fact that he was wearing a pair of large and black sunglasses – luckily it was a very sunny day so that he didn't stand out in that department – to disguise his face even more, the young detective was nearly unrecognisable.

Though maybe the fact that Watari had advised him to cover the bags under his eyes had helped too.

The young detective knew that Watari had been right when he said that he needed a break. In previous cases, before the Kira case, the young man was used to taking breaks every now and then. Not many mind you, but he did like to go out every once and a while and visit random bakeries to rise his sugar level.

The fact that Kira seemed to be able to kill when he- or she, he reminded himself – had a face, had forced him to put an end to going out during his breaks. Something that had made him grumpy after a while.

So maybe Watari had been right to drag him along, as he had been coped up in that hotel room for a couple of weeks.

He once again tugged at his head, and grimaced.

That did not mean that L liked this though.

Not in the least.

"I haven't seen you for a long time 'Dave'." 'Walter commented in amusement.

'Of course not,' 'Dave' thought, fumble with the hat once again.

"I would appreciate it if you were to remain silent on subjects concerning this uncomfortable experience Walter." The young man muttered, refusing to say that he was brooding.

"Of course Dave, but please mind your speech." The older man said, knowing that the younger man was doing it on purpose. Watari straightened his jacket out of habit as he shifted his attention back to their destination. Before they had left, he had discarded his usual formal attire and was currently wearing a more casual light brown jacket. He too had decided to wear a pair of glasses.

"Duly noted, Walter."

The older man chuckled in amusement as they continued on, nearly missing the light upturning of his charge's lips.

"We are nearly there."

~ Scene Break ~ Bakery ~ Mioko~

Mioko loved lollipops, especially cherry ones.

So she was more than happy when Haruko-onee-san handed her one when they entered the bakery. As Haruko closed the door behind them, an old man behind the counter greeted them.

"Hello Haruko-chan, what are you doing here? You don't have to work today. Did you miss me that much?" The elder man laid his hand over his heart as if he was touched by the thought.

"I know you love me and that you want to spend all your time with me but you really should go out and have fun Haruko-chan!"

Haruko laughed.

"Don't worry old man, these little brats keep me far too busy to miss you." The little girl knew that Haruko was joking, so she wasn't really offended by her words. She took a step towards the counter, curious to see the new cake that Haruko had told her about on their way to the bakery.

Mioko knew that the older girl worked her once or twice a week to help out the older man, Oonichi Daichi, with new designs, or to simply help make cakes if it was busy.

After all, 'Oonichi's Bakery' was quite a well-known bakery that was having a pretty good business.

"Ah hi Mioko-chan." Daichi suddenly greeted cheerfully when he spotted her, leaning over the counter to get a better look at her.

"You are getting taller and more beautiful every time I see you." The man smiled at her in a grandfatherly manner, making her blush.

"Don't scare her gramps." Haruko shook her head in amusement, as she patted Mioko's head.

"Scare her?" He asked, acting as if he were very surprised. Haruko smirked at him in amusement, when he suddenly leaned back even further. "Wait gramps? Young lady that is no way to talk to your boss." He mocked.

Mioko watched as Haruko laughed at the older man behind the counter, and they continued to talk as he helped several other costumers.

She waited patiently as she glanced at the strawberry cake in one of the displays, sucking quietly on her lollipop.

The bell of the bakery chimed once more as two men stepped into the bakery.

Her eyes immediately scanned their jackets for any weakness. The older mans' pockets were large and easily to grab. The blond haired guy's jacket would be slightly difficult but if she were to sneak up to him from behind she-

She bit down on her lollipop and forcefully turned herself around.

"Come Mio-chan, let's sit down." Haruko nudged her side as she held a piece of cake in each hand.

Glad for the distraction, Mioko-chan followed obediently. They sat down on an empty space near the door, which the younger girl knew Haruko had chosen on purpose so that she had to practice to keep herself from scanning people who were entering.

Like she had done before.

"It's alright Mio-chan" Said girl blushed, but she was not surprised that Haruko would have noticed it.

As they sat down she had finished her lollipop, and happily started on her cake, happily talking to her big sister figure.

Once or twice she glanced back at the elder man and his young blond companion, as well as several other people but she was happy that she hadn't picked a pocket today, so she wasn't to harsh on herself as she sometimes scanned the people.

She glanced towards the door as another man entered. He had a dark aura around him that immediately made Mioko dislike the man. Suddenly feeling very defensive she couldn't stop herself. She shifted uncomfortably as she scanned the man's pockets of his slightly tight leather jacket.

He had something in his pocket.

Her young mind automatically connected the shape to any possible objects, like watches, money, and wallets. Yet this object didn't fit in there.

Mioko-chan froze.

She knew that shape.

Now she was scared.

~ Scene Break ~ Bakery ~ Haruko~

Haruko sighed contently as she sat down with the younger girl, watching with amusement as she enthusiastically dug into her cake.

Her hand started playing with the orange bangs of her hair as her eyes calmly scanned the people in the bakery.

She always liked to study the people around her. Not only because it was a habit she had grown up with from her youth – which was something she preferred not to think about – but she always was curious to the story behind a face.

Well, at least the people that managed to catch her interest.

But never had she felt such an interest in strangers as she had spotted the pair of man who had just entered the shop.

This was why she was subtly watching them. Why was she feeling this pull? It was as if she should have known them, recognised them, as if she should have greeted them. She silently studied the pair, searching for anything that might have made them seem more familiar.

The younger man was staring intently the strawberry cake she had made a few days ago. It annoyed her that she could not see his eyes because of the sunglasses, though he was seemingly so absorbed by looking at the cakes that she was sure he was not watching her. He had raised his thumb to his lip and was slumped forward in a way that nearly made her winch. The older man was having a small conversation with her boss. She raised an eyebrow when she saw her boss suddenly look very surprised when the older man gave their order before laughing. .

"Yes sir, please sit down I will make sure to bring it over."

She curiously followed the men as they sat down on the table next to them on the other side of the aisle.

Suddenly a picture flashed in front of her eyes, of two black eyes staring at her as if they were searching her through her very soul.

She forcefully shook her head as she took her eyes away from the pair, not having missed the strange way in which the blond haired guy was sitting. Now she was having those flashes again? She had hoped those had stopped a couple of weeks ago, but ever since that stupid Kira killer had reared his ugly head they only seemed to get more frequent. Now she was seeing this guy and- She clenched her hands in frustration.

Surely it had been nothing, she reassured herself.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the little girl in front of her let out a small gasp.

"Mio-chan?"

Haruko immediately knew that something was wrong when she saw her charge freeze and turn slightly pale.

"Har-ruko-san…" The little girl nearly whispered as continued to stare in the direction of the door.

"Yes Mio-chan?" Haruko gently asked, now also subtly focussing her attention on the man she was staring at.

She estimated that the man was about Andrew's age. He had a slightly dangerous aura around him that immediately put Haruko on guard.

"H-he has a gun in his pocket." Haruko heard the little girl whisper shakily, not taking her eyes of the pocket in which she had spotted the object.

Absently she noted that the two men on the table next to them froze.

Haruko's eyes widened as she subtly turned around, staring at the pocket herself. She had a bit more difficulty trying to see the shape in it, but after a few seconds and Mioko's own comment, she had to agree. She watched the man's eyes survey the bakery, looking slightly twitchy and nervous.

This wasn't good.

~ Scene Break ~ Bakery ~ L ~

Why did he have the feeling as if he should know the girl with those orange bangs?

He was hundred percent sure that he had not seen the girl before, yet she seemed so familiar. He didn't know whether the girl was experiencing the same feeling, but he knew she was watching them curiously. He forced himself not to acknowledge that fact and instead focused on the strawberry cake in front of him. She was pretty good at subtly studying him, he had to admit. Had he not been watching her, he might have not noticed. He was glad he had chosen to wear sunglasses after all.

Did she know he was L?

Why was she watching him?

Was she somehow related to Kira?

He continued to study her – it nearly too easy with a pair of sunglasses on – as he sat down with Watari. Seeing him glance at the girl a few times himself, he knew that the older man had the same feeling about her.

Yet L didn't feel threatened by her presence in the slightest.

At least that calmed him down somewhat, as he had learned to trust his gut feeling – for the most part.

He continued watching her as she smiled at her young companion – unlikely to be her younger sister for they didn't seem alike – when he suddenly saw the girl's expression blank out for a moment, before she shook her head and look away. She seemed to be frustrated all of sudden. He would have been interested in the change of attitude, but a small soft gasp from the younger girl caught both his and Watari's attention.

"Har-ruko-san…" So that was the older girl's name.

The detective saw Watari glance over L's shoulder to see what had made the little girl so afraid, and L raised an eyebrow when he saw Watari frown in displeasure.

"Shady figure." The man muttered, and L understood.

He was about to ask more when both of the caught the whisper of the girl next to them, having been trained to catch small things like that.

"H-he has a gun in his pocket." The girl told the older girl shakily.

Both of their eyes widened as they froze.

Damn.

So much for having a simple break.

**~ End Chapter ~**

So that probably means that the two of them will meet next chapter! Though how will that play out? What do you think?

Poor Haruko and L, trouble is always following them.

Hope you enjoyed the chap, and please review to let me know!

~Dreamyin

Vocab:

[1] Itai – means "ouch"

[2] Onee-san – a suffix meaning "big sister"


	4. Galling Interruptions

**Summary**: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, it isn't all that easy, as it doesn't mean he will have the same identity… or gender. FemLight/L.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Death Note characters, but I do like to place my claim on Haruko's and Mioko's characters.

**Note**: Please don't be too harsh on me for any mistakes; I will correct them later when I find them, or you can let me know of course!

Now time for some action! The real fun can begin!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Galling Interruptions**

'Damn it' Haruko thought, mentally hitting her head against the table – after all, she couldn't do it in reality without scaring Mioko-chan.

"So much for simple peaceful freaking break." She grumbled under her breath, sending a glare at the source that was ruining her break when he turned his back to her.

Great a robber-alert. What now?

She would have to do something…that was for sure. Studying the man, and judging how nervous he was, she knew that there were too many things that could go wrong. There was no way that she could leave Gramps like that knowing that it could become dangerous.

Haruko groaned mentally before she let out a heavy sigh, forcing her body to relax and decided to take her chance. She was suddenly very glad that she had asked Mioko-chan to teach her the skills some time ago, maybe she would be able to get his gun away from him before he could do anything.

But first things first, get Mioko-chan to safety.

She turned to the scared girl in front of her, took her hands firmly to get her attention. Looking in her grey doe-like eyes, Haruko asked very carefully "Mio-chan, is it possible for me to grasp the gun without him noticing?"

The question seemed to shake the first out of her fear. She glanced back at the pocket, then at Haruko and after a long thoughtful look, she nodded shakily.

Haruko forced herself to smile, pulling out her phone and handing it to her. "Great. Now Mio-chan listen carefully, I want you to exit the shop alright, call the police and then hide behind the bench standing at the front of it alright?"

"Bu-"

No she couldn't afford her to become stubborn at this moment.

"Now Mioko!" She said sharply and Mioko flinched as she scrambled away from the table. A shaky "Hai" was the last thing she heard form the girl as she followed the given instructions.

Haruko mentally sighed, knowing that she might have to make it up to the girl later.

However at this moment, it was for the best. She would not allow Mioko-chan to be harmed.

Waiting for her charge to safely leave the shop she snapped her attention to the soon- to-be-robber. Now she had noticed him, she realised how obvious he actually was. His body language said it all. She had done a small self-study on criminals some time ago, as she had always wanted to do something with criminal profiling. In a way it had become a hobby of hers, and her eyes narrowed as she noticed the wary gaze the man had.

This seemed like a quite inexperienced robber, so how had he known that Oonichi's bakery would have the largest amount of cash today?

Was he simply lucky?

It was suspicious, but Haruko didn't think about it as she suddenly felt herself grow very angry. How dare that stupid trash to think they can take just take everything they want and get away with it?

_Another white flash_. _It was evening. A street. A group of bikers. __I'm getting annoyed at all these kind of people. I'm starting to think the world would be better off without them. Simply walking throught the crowd. Flash._ She blinked and shook her head to get rid of the dizzy feeling that usually accompanied the flash.

What the hell was that about?

No time Haruko, she told herself and forced herself to focus.

Approaching the owner as if she wanted to have another talk, she saw the robber glance sharply at her as she meekly brushed by but dismiss her a second later. She was about to do something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She nearly bolted away from the person behind her as she nearly thought the robber decided to take a hostage instead. However at the contact, it was as if the hand felt familiar – even though it shouldn't be - and she quickly realised that it was the blond-haired guy that had followed her.

She narrowed his eyes at him ever so slightly, were they friends of this guy?

"Please stand down Miss. My friend will take care of it."

Huh?

She glanced towards said friend and was about to complain when the older man neared them and flashed something at her so fast that she nearly didn't see it. Still she had, and suddenly felt relieved. A police badge. Great, the older man seemed to be a police agent. That meant that she didn't have to do anything reckless then.

Haruko nodded firmly, but slipped behind the counter anyway, wanting to support her old friend should it be necessary.

She ignored the stare of a pair of eyes that she felt on her back.

Keeping an eye on the pair as she started to help her boss, she waited as patiently as she could. The robber drew nearer as the line decreased and she felt herself tense the more the distance between her and the man decreased. Haruko subtly switched herself with her boss as if she wanted to help him and mustered her most likely her best real looking fake smile at the moment. She was unbelievable tense, but forced herself to bare it.

Suddenly it went all unbelievably fast. She noticed the dangerous flash in the man's eye as his hand reached for his gun and without thinking she immediately pulled Daichi down to the floor, ignoring the fact that she had just been half-way throught the standard "Hello welcome to Oonichi's Bakery. What can I d-"… and she was down. She could imagine the surprised look on the man his face.

Her boss let out a loud and surprised yell as they both dropped to the floor and she held him down firmly when he tried to get up, quickly hissing in his ear.

"Sorry Gramps, no time! Robber-alert."

The widening of the elder's eyes told her enough and she let his sleeve go and listened closely to the conversation that was going on.

"-olice, put down the gun gently on the counter or I will be forced to use violence."

There was a loud growl, as she heard the metal touch the counter. "Hands on your head."

There were a few loud gasps from the costumers, everyone frozen in their seat as they watched the interaction with surprise.

After she had heard the gun hit the counter, she allowed herself to stand up, feeling very confident that the older man had the robber secured. A little voice back in her head questioned this sudden trust. She never trusted someone so soon before. Why did she feel that way? What was going on? But Haruko didn't pay attention to it, but quikcly took the gun away from the counter instead .

She watched as the older man took one hand on the robber and guided it behind the robber's back, before the man quickly put his gun away to most likely get his handcuffs. The blond guy was watching the process carefully from a short distance, ready to jump in if it were necessary.

Everything was alright. No one was hurt. She let out a sight of relief as she felt as if a weight fell from her shoulders…

"Hold it right there!"

Her attention was caught by a familiar cell-phone being thrown on the ground. Dread settled in her stomach as she turned towards the source…

…and the weigh crashed right back where it had been when another unfamiliar voice called out though the bakery. Her head snapped to the source and her heart stood still when she met a pair of light grey scared eyes.

Her eyes widened in horror. No!

Moiko-chan!

"Everyone on the ground!" There was a soft bang, but loud enough for everyone to scream and comply to the man's orders. Only Haruko didn't respond, instead she automatically held her hands up in the air as she kept eye contact with the trembling girl in front of her.

No.

Something in her brain snapped, and her brain started processing every possible idea in overload.

She had to fix this.

~ Scene Break ~ L ~

The moment L spotted the little girl – Mioko-chan she had been called? - that had accompanied Haruko, he mentally cursed in his head

Shit how the hell did he not see that one coming? – many other profanities followed.

A _shadow_ robber. Sure, L had gone over the situation before and had measured the chances of that to happen, but he hadn't really expected it. There was about one percent that there was a shadow robber for something as simple as a bakery. However there had only been half percent chance that there would be one waiting outside.

He had been too busy keeping a watchful eye on the costumers in the bakery for one to even think about looking for anyone outside.

That mistake cost him.

He was aware that he and Watari were about the only one that remained standing, even when the man had proclaimed his order.

"Dare to move your hand even and inch closer to that gun of yours and I will kill this girl."

L didn't doubt the seriousness of the situation.

He heard the first robber chuckle behind him. It was clear that the newcomer was the leader and master brain of the two.

L quickly scanned the guy. He wore a baseball cap low over his forehead, blocking most of his face for the few cameras inside the bakery. The guy was quite intelligent too, using a scarf to hide his face by having pulled it over his nose a few times. Including the fact that he was wearing sunglasses, made it very difficult for him to be recognized.

L suddenly recognized the robber from a short notice he had read in one of his reports a while ago. At the time, he had not deemed it worthy enough of his notice. This man was a well-known robber in this area, that had not been caught until now. It was said that he had a way to using everything to his advantage to get away from the crime scene if something went wrong.

Not that it would save him, L was now sure that he would put this guy to justice. Like he had this strange limp in his right leg just when he took a step closer to them, and that tiny little scar that could be seen coming from under his sunglasses near his right eye.

Yes, if needed to be he would trace the man down just a few of these simple characteristics. How did he dare to use that little girl as a hostage?

"Let my partner free." The man demanded, deepening his voice. L scowled, and his eyes picked up every little single movement as he forced himself to focus on the man. The man had a second gun in his left pocket so disarming was out of question if he couldn't be immediately apprehended. Also the little girl was a problem, as she would not hinder him because of her small size and weight.

L glanced at Watari, and he nodded subtly at him to follow his orders. He would get them later, but for now it was important that everyone would go unharmed, _especially_ the little girl.

How to get the girl away from the man?

The first robber was let go, and he immediately hurried towards his friend, fortunately not even thinking about the fact that his gun was gone – which L suspected that Haruko had quickly hidden out of sight underneath the counter.

Intelligent girl she was. Out of sight, out of mind.

Watari shifted uncomfortably next to him. Though L knew he was just testing the man.

"Old man, if you even dare to reach for your gun again, she's dead."

The man was a sharp one.

There was a moment of tense silence as the leader of the pair stared at them, seemingly going over his options.

L had to keep himself from rushing into the situation as those grey scared eyes of the shaking girl suddenly locked her gaze with his. Her lip was trembling and she was so unbelievable pale that L knew that she could faint at any moment.

L knew that the police would arrive soon, having seen a few costumers sneakily call the police, but he there was a high chance that they would be gone the mean time. Especially if they decided to leave now.

The leader also seemed to decide to take the safest route – a intelligent and experienced he seemed to be – and nudged his partner to the entrance of the bakery.

"We will take the girl with us and don't you dare to follow."

Mioko started crying. "Har-uko!" She suddenly reached towards her sister figure, unable to take it anymore.

The sudden outburst also seemed to take the robber off guard and he tightened his grip on the sobbing girl. L felt himself tense, now more ready than ever to interfere. However his interest peaked when he saw a shift in the confident stance of the robber.

"Wait!" Haruko called out in a desperate voice.

His head snapped to said girl, who was raising her hands high in a peaceful manner, trembling all over. "Please let me switch places with her." She pleaded, her concern and the care in her voice was crystal clear.

"You are her sister?"

"In all but blood." She said shakily but truthfully as she slowly neared the man, as if she was afraid he would do anything to the girl. She slowly walked around the counter and for a moment L lost sight of her because she was walking behind them. He felt her brush past him and looked directly in her eyes.

Her emotions seemed to slip at that second, and a high wire of emotions filled those eyes, but they were overruled by one.

Determination.

If there was one thing that L respected, then it was determination. Especially in situations like this showed just how strong people could be. The respect for the girl grew enormously and he was about to do something when he suddenly felt something hit the back of his shoe.

The girl left out a deep shaky breath as if she was very scared – she most likely was – that vaguely formed a word that L caught. "Gun."

The respect rose to a whole new level.

"You want to trade?" The man stated. Was it also respect that L heard in his voice?

"Yes, please. Just… just please let her go."

There was a tense silent. The man eyes the girl in front of him up and down, taking in her meek appearance and L saw the girl tense at the searching stare. Lingering on her…assets, the man seemed to smirk. Being a man himself and not being a detective for nothing, L knew the look perfectly well. The disguised detective nearly growled out loud. How dare he look at her like that.

"Alright Girlie." the man aimed the gun at her forehead. "But one wrong move and you're dead." With that he pushed the little girl away a bit roughly who immediately clamped herself to the older girls leg, still sobbing quietly. "Mioko-chan, let go. Go stand behind the blond man alright?" The tension in the girl's shoulders seemed disappear as soon as she pushed the little girl behind her, the whole time not taking her eyes of her abductor.

"B-but Ha-haruko!"

"Mio-chan. _Now_ please." The voice was firm and didn't allow any room for objections.

In the mean time L's brain was working on a way to retrieve the gun lying his feet. He felt the girl brush past him and a few seconds later, the weight of his pocket increased. His eyes widened as he felt the shaking girl latch onto this baggy trouser and watch the scene from behind him.

Then she heard her let out a soft gasp and for a moment the grasp of his trouser disappeared and he nearly didn't notice her hand in his other pocket as its weight also increased.

L frowned. Wait, two guns? Where did she get the other o- he glanced at the man's pocket and his eyes widened in surprise.

The girl had taken away his gun without him noticing?

While a part of his brain was keeping track of these things, he had kept an eye on Haruko as she stood next to the man, flinching slightly as he pulled her close. However, L was more caught up by the sudden look in the girl's eyes as she stared at him. They weren't afraid, they were calculating. L was now sure that she had been acting all along, having had a suspicion since she had passed him. She was planning something.

"Alright we are leaving through the backdoor. Everyone remains on the ground, and if anyone even dares to follow us…." He left the threat hanging as he moved back, taking hold of Haruko's hair in the process.

He kept eye contact and for some reason everything suddenly became very clear, he knew he was waiting for something, but yet he didn't know what.

Suddenly Haruko started to struggle. "You are hurting me." She started sobbing – an act L reminded himself. The man ignored the 'meek' girl, and slowly moved back still eyes many of the costumers as his partner watched his back.

L's sharp eyes did notice the fact that he loosened his grip ever so slightly and moved his gun away to get easier through the door that would lead an exit in an alley behind the bakery.

It was at that moment that the meek girl in front of him disappeared all together and an _angry _one took her place.

Suddenly everything went very fast, but he was ready for it.

~ Scene Break ~ Haruko ~

She had acted very carefully, planned out every move in advance, and there she was waiting for that one moment. The moment he would loosen his grip even just a little. After all, she had acted as a little meek girl, of course she wouldn't be dangerous for a big man like him, especially when she was about a inch shorter than he was.

Stupid girl-underestimating, overconfident and perverted – no way she had not noticed that look – men.

She couldn't wait to kick his ass.

She didn't blame him for making that mistake though – after all she was good at acting.

So when he did loosen his hold, she was ready. Before he knew what was going on, her right hand snapped out for the gun, keeping it high and twisting it out of his hand before he could even think of reinforcing his hold. Then she quickly squatted down, and threw him of his feet as she put her foot behind his leg and rammed her shoulder into his belly.

He doubled over instantly, sputtering for air.

She jumped on him and pointed the gun at his head. "Don't move." She growled at him, as his surprised brown eyes looked at her. His sunglasses had been knocked from his nose during the fall.

The time stood still for a moment, and she felt her hand shake as her finger rested on the trigger.

Suddenly she was at a loss of what to do. What would she do when he did move? Would she pull the trigger? Would she be able to kill him if needed to be?

The robber stared her in the eyes, and suddenly let out a small laugh. That action surprised her, and he started moving.

"Don't move" She growled, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Wait this wasn't supposed to be happening. Anyone would listen to people when they held a gun to their head right? Why was he moving? Why wasn't she doing anything?... Her eyes narrowed and she took action and aimed next to the man's head.

_Bang! _

Her eyes widened in surprise as she eyed the clean floor. 'What?'

Then before she could even comprehend what was going on, he roughly grabbed her hand and twisted her arm around, then put his other hand over her mouth when he snapped at his friend to help hold her.

Recovering his gun, he held her more firmly this time.

"Silly girl, you know you can't kill me." Haruko growled out in pain, tried to get his little follower down by kicking behind her, but the man had already expected that move. Her arm was twisted higher behind her, and she hissed out.

Though she was not that easily to take out. Just as she was about to use a riskier move to free herself, a voice stopped her.

"She might not be able to kill you, but I don't have any problems with hurting you."

The man holding her froze, glowering at the blond guy in front of him, holding a gun firmly in his hand.

His aim was right on. He seemed to be familiar with the action, neither shaking nor even twitching. Moiko-chan was still hiding behind her, looking at Haruko with scared and tearful eyes.

Haruko couldn't help but wonder that this looked like a standstill that would normally only happen in movies.

"Move and I will kill her." The robber growled, but Haruko heard the doubt in his voice. Her wheels in her brain were turning, still not getting why there hadn't been a shot… of course! The gun was a fluke!

She roughly started shaking her head, hoping he man in front of her would understand what just happened.

"In contrast to your gun, this one is real. Now let her go, before you will be forced to live with another limp the rest of your life."

There was another tense moment of silence, broken by the sound or sirens coming closer, and the spell was broken. The man growled, pushing Haruko roughly to the floor and was about to kick her, but it was intercepted by a hand and he received a kick right under his chin instead.

He was immediately knocked out, while his companion was apprehended by the older police agent.

The next thing Haruko knew was a lot of chaos going on around her, before being tackled by a little mass going by the name of Mioko-chan.

She clung to her sister figure and started sobbing. Haruko finally allowed her previously-supressed fear to rush back over her and hugged the little girl back shakily.

"Shhh… sorry Mioko-chan. Shhh… we are alright."

They sat there for a long while, before a polite police officer gently asked for a statement. Haruko nodded, grasping the sleeping girl under her armpits and heaved her up into her arms. She had to suppress herself from letting out a hiss.

Her right arm was still tender.

"It started when we entered the room..." She began, and shared the details she had picked up during the interaction. The police officer seemed surprised by her knowledge but seemed eager to get everything she had to say down, nodding in an encouraging manner as she continued.

"… he intercepted the kick and everything ended like that. The rest you know."

"Thank you Miss…"

"Imai [1] Haruko" She answered easily, and the man smiled at her for not even having to ask. "Thank you very much for your cooperation. Now are you sure you are well?."

"Yes, I'm fine. I would like to head home now if possible. If there is anything you need, you can reach me on the number I have given you."

"Of course, please take your rest."

"I will, thank you sir."

When the man was gone, Haruko let out a sigh in relief and went to exit the shop.

"Haruko-san." The voice of the blonde guy stopped her. She turned around, and was surprised to see the man without his sunglasses. He seemed to realize it too, as he casually put them back on. Still Haruko had seen them, and couldn't get the image out of her head. His eyes were not what she had expected them to look like. They were wide and…

_Flash. _

Exactly what she had seen during her flash about an hour before. An eerie feeling followed, but she shook it off. Something suddenly seemed _not right_ about him, and the feeling was nagging her, but she couldn't put her finger on the problem.

Was it his hair or something else?

"-ruko-san?" Ah she spaced out again and staring at him too, great. "Ah I'm sorry…err…" She trailed of pointedly. She was sure that she saw a twitch of amusement just before the man in front of her answered her. "Call me Dave."

'Just Dave?' She wondered, a bit suspicious, but not feeling like it was her business.

"Ah Dave-san, thank you very much for helping me out back there." She thanked him, giving him a grateful small bow – as well as she could with Mioko-chan in her arms.

"You are welcome, though I am confident that you would have been able to comprehend them yourself eventually. What form of self defense have you been taught?" He said in return, and Haruko wasn't really sure if he was giving her a compliment or was just stating the facts as he saw them.

"I have some experience in Jiujutsu, and some other arts of fighting." She acknowledged, though not really sharing the extent of her skills. "Your kick was very well delivered. Have you ever followed Taekwondo? No there was something else in there, a fighting style that I can't come up with at the moment."

Another tiny smirk.

"Capoeira. I have 'some experience' in it myself." Haruko blinked, before smiling. Ah so the guy caught on quickly, and did he just make a joke?

Staring at him for a moment, she suddenly felt very impulsive and held out her hand after shifting Mioko-chan to her other arm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dave-san."

"Likeawise, Haruko-san."

As she touched his hand, another déjà vu rushed over her.

"_-ght-kun is the first friend I ever had." A pause. "You're a friend that I really get on with as well." _

_What?_

She suddenly felt dizzy, and shakily and absently held out Mioko-chan for him to take. He seemed puzzled at her action, making her worry that she might drop the little girl, but Mioko-chan was quickly taken by the elder man. He seemed to have more experience with those kinds of structures and Haruko felt grateful. Her surroundings started swirling.

"I'm suddenly not feeling very well. Give me a moment." She muttered a bit shakily.

Two strong arms caught her as she fell over.

"Shock?" She heard Dave mutter.

"Possible. It is best if we were to get her to-"

"Ai's Orphanage." She managed to mutter at them before she blacked out.

She cursed herself as she left the conscious world. 'Great Haruko, go play hero and then faint at the end. So not cool.'

**~ End Chapter ~ **

And the two of them meet! Phew that took a while to work out, I hope you guys like it.

Now how will this continue? Will Haruko join the Kira case or simply befriend L? Or will Haruko meet Light?

So many possibilities! I'm curious what you think, so please let me know and Review!

~ Dreamyin

Vocab:

[1] Imai – Haruko's surname, meaning 'new residence'


	5. Hello Again

**Summary**: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, all isn't easy, as this doesn't mean he will have the same identity... Will L be safe and Kira defeated?. FemLight/L.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Death Note characters, but I do like to place my claim on Haruko's and Mioko's characters.

**Note:** Please don't be too harsh on me for any mistakes; I will correct them later when I find them, or you can let me know of course!

It took a while, but here is next chapter.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Hello Again**

Haruko slowly felt herself regain somewhat of her consciousness, but not enough to know what was going on.

It was as if she was hovering between her blissful sleep and the content sleepiness that many people normally would be greeted with on a sunny morning.

She felt her body shift in a manner that made her eventually realise that someone was carrying her. The grip on her was firm but held a gentleness that made her feel safe and secure.

She didn't really acknowledge the awkwardness in which the one was carrying her, as if not really knowing what to do, because she was already caught up in her dream-like thoughts and memories.

Suddenly she was a child again, and it was Andrew who was carrying her to her room when she had stayed up too late studying again – for which he would gently berate her the next morning - when he still had been strong enough to do such exercise without straining himself.

When Ai was still alive and would follow him to tuck her in and wish her goodnight with a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you" She would mutter.

"Love you too" Haruko would answer.

To which her new mother figure would smile and whisper back. "Love you more."

"Love you more." The younger Haruko would mutter back sleepily but laughing.

They would keep saying it that phrase until Ai would flee the room, usually timing it just right so she was the one who would say it last.

The one who lost, the one not having replied back in time, would usually start the next little game.

Half slumbering, Haruko was mentally back in the time when she didn't have to worry about her father-figure. The illness that would probabl kill him in the end and that he had tried to hide from her. Nor did she have to acknowledge the fact that her mother figure might not be around forever.

When she was still blissfully unaware of the unfair world out there.

Being sent towards a time where everything was much easier and much more joyful than she previously realised, she didn't want to leave,and snuggled a little bit closer to 'Andrew' in an attempt to hide away from the real world for a little bit longer.

Haruko felt the arms shift to keep her weight, as if the owner had been caught off guard by her sudden move.

She felt the man tense, but ignored it. The warmth of him carrying her kept away all those memories of which she normally wasn't aware.

"Hime!"

The worried voice of Andrew, cut through her blissful state. Something snapped in her brain, a pain accompanying it as she imagined something green flashing with it. Other memories were suddenly thrown in the mix, those that had been more active ever since she had locked her gaze with those large black eyes of Dave.

It felt as if her blissful state was torn away from her.

_Flash - _

"_-rcent sure that Light-kun is Kira." _

_Flash _

_Twenty-five freaking sugar-cubes… how many did the man need?_

_Flash_

She groaned as a sudden dizziness that overcame her. She didn't want those memories… She shouldn't have those memories. She had to remain unaware, she didn't why but she just knew. She was somewhat aware that Watari was answering Andrew's questions and that L carried her into the orphanage – the familiar noise of the children playing in the background was enough to let her know that she was home.

_Flash_

_"-ght-kun is the first friend I ever had." A pause. "You're a friend that I really get on with as well."_

_-Flash_

"_know Shinigami eat apples?"_

_Flash._

She pushed the memories away… she didn't want them. She didn't need them. She wanted to remain ignorant, blissfully unaware of the even darker world out there. She had to wake up. The more pushed her to consciousness the more the memories disappeared, though the last memory lingered longer than the others…

"Shinigami?…" She muttered so softly that it sounded like a soft sigh.

Then the memories were gone again, back at their respective places, where they belonged. Only the word lingered.

But other than that she didn't know… didn't remember anymore. She was oblivious to the memories she had once held. Instead she let her head rest in the comfortable crook of the man's shoulder carrying her.

Haruko once again fell asleep, unaware of those dark eyes that were watching her carefully as their owner followed Andrew to her room.

~ Scene Break ~ L ~ Ai's Orphanage

Carrying someone unconsciousness was… awkward.

It wasn't even a long distance, just from the bakery to the car.

Still, it was a strange experience to be actually carrying someone this way.

It had been a long time ago that L had to carry someone and even then it had been more part of his training than anything else. For a moment he was able to ignore that fact that he was forced to walk in a straight posture while carrying her as he stared at her with his usual intense focus. The girl he was carrying still peaked his curiosity to a whole new level. The manner in which she suddenly seemed to shift to her protective and determined nature combined with the sudden pull she had evoked from both Watari and him were intriguing.

He realised that the timing for this new curiosity was incredibly inconvenient with the Kira case he had to focus on, but he simply couldn't help himself to study her now he had the chance. At first sight, Haruko seemed like a quite plain and ordinary girl. She surely wasn't someone who would stand out from the crowd, with exception maybe the orange-colored lock of hair she had.

Her nose was a little too small for her face, and her eyes maybe a little to wide for her to be a model. She looked a lot more peaceful sleeping but he saw that the girl seemed quite exhausted. Though she didn't really have bags under her eyes, L could spot the signs that marked people who were either very worried or very busy with work.

She did say she came from an orphanage…

There were many scenerios that could come from there, which of many weren't always pleasant.

Still both girls seemed very healthy, so luckily abuse and neglect seemed most unlikely.

He tensed slightly as he saw Haruko frown before snuggling closer to him, most likely seeking his warmth.

Some emotion bubbled inside of him, but he couldn't really indentify what it was, so he ignored it.

L tried to shift her into a bit more comfortable position as he sat down in the car, realising that it was better if he could stand up with her immediately. He listened to Mioko-chan who was holding Watari's hand with a surprising amount of trust that one wouldn't expect from a girl that had been in the position she had been about an hour ago. Watari led her to the front seat and asked her for directions as he sat down himself.

The girl kept a close eye on him with Haruko, but answered them easily anyway. During the ride, she shyly tried to answer a few questions coming from Watari the best she could, most of them concerning the orphanage. L knew that the old man was always a bit wary when confronted with the treatment of children in orphanages – having visited many – he seemed to be a little worried when he heard that the owner was not very healthy.

"Haruko helps out a lot. She's like a big sister." The girl proudly stated, looking at said figure.

"Are you treated well Moiko-chan?" L suddenly decided to cut in, being as straight forwards as he most of the time was. The girl seemed surprised at the question before quickly nodding with an energy that made the pair nearly unable to believe otherwise.

"Yeah! Of course! Andrew is really nice and takes care of us as well as he can. We have enough food and even get some pocket money if there is enough!"

Watari decided to take over and the girl quickly warmed up to the grandfatherly aura he always seemed to spread to those around him.

"Do you go to school Mioko-chan?"

"Yeah, last day I –" The shy girl started to tell the man about her school day in an excited manner, when L realised that she wasn't actually sharing the most important information about them. No name real school name was mentioned, nor a full teacher's name.

The girl seemed on guard still, even though they had already let Andrew know what had happened and that they would arrive soon.

Wary of strangers huh. An intelligent girl she was.

As they arrived, they soon spotted a blond man anxiously waiting for them at the entrance. As he spotted the car, he clearly tried to run to it, but instead ended up in a tired stumbling. Watari quickly parked the car as fast as he could and went to the man, helping to support him as he worriedly asked where Haruko and Mioko-chan were.

Mioko-chan had run to Andrew in the meantime, calming him down by telling him everything was alright. The man suddenly seemed a lot more tired but very reliefed after seeing Haruko unconsciousness in L's arms as he walked towards him.

"She's merely asleep." 'Dave' assured the man. Watari stopped Andrew as he made a motion to carry Haruko himself. "It's alright, Dave can carry her just fine. You don't seem… fit enough at the moment. I assure you that -"

Andrew let out a frustrated sigh of defeat. "Yeah, yeah. No offense, I get it. She would kill me if I tried and dropped her anyway…" He gently brushed one of Haruko's locks of hair out of her face, something that L thought was one of those actions that were completely unnecessary. Suddenly catching L's eyes, he saw the man stare at him for a moment, then frown ever so slightly before he motioned them to follow.

L stared at the entrance, marking a beautiful engraved plate that stated 'Ai's Orphanage'.

The building wasn't anything special. Nowhere even close to Wammy's ophanage, unsurprisingly. It looked more like a large house for a large family to live in. Though the house seemed to be in a good shape, L could see that there wasn't enough money for them to keep everything in good condition. There was clearly no gardener for the garden and the house and fences could use some paint.

As Andrew led them up the stairs to Haruko's room, L was aware of the children spying around the corners, hushing each other and whispering. They seemed to sense the fact that they were not welcome at the moment, so they kept their distance. There was one exception though. A young girl with long dark brown hair came running and quickly hugged Mioko-chan tightly when she came close, not letting go, and walked with them. Suffling at Mioko's other side as they kept walking, keeping her arms tightly around the girl.

He saw Watari's puzzled gaze when Mioko-chan only shifted for a moment muttering sharply "Emi, too tight!" to the girl. The girl didn't immediately react, so Mioko-chan let go of Watari's hand and poked the girl in the side, as her other arm was caught in the hug. At the soft poke the girl finally seemed to respond.

She started, seeming to be ticklish and blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry… " She muttered, visibly loosening the hug, but not letting go. "Arm" Moiko then said, and this time the younger girl – as if automatically – moved to wrap her hands around the older girl's arm.

L blinked, Mioko-chan had responded as if it was a simple routine that she had become used to.

"Good job you two." Andrew's tired voice cut through L's and Watari's observation, having been walking behind them as to keep watch over everyone. "You handled the little relapse perfectly." The girls blushed both the same shade red, but smiled at each other.

"Second room to the right." He then continued.

The room was small, but cheerful, as the walls were painted white and one wall a colourful orange. There was a bed, a wooden desk and about three different lamps – one was also orange - scattered over the room. Then there was a high bookcase that contained many books on psychology, myths, and more spiritual subjects. There were some old books in there that seemed well-read. They were about mystical creatures, and some other titles that seemed to be also in that direction. There were also many thrillers and books on cooking.

The wall with the window – it was the one that had been painted orange - contained about a dozen of handprints that were scattered on the wall in the corner… making it clear that the children had done this together once. Watari smiled at the little observation and started questioning Andrew about the orphanage and the children, sharing the fact that he had a dear friend who ran an orphanage himself in England – completely leaving out the 'tiny' fact that he was actually the owner of said orphanage.

As L stepped in the room, he suddenly felt the girl shift again and muttered something under her breath. "Shi-gami…"

Shinigami? L frowned at the strange subject, but didn't comment on it. After all, there had been a book on myths in the bookcase… maybe it was an obsession of hers? L had dealt with enough odd people in his line of work to dismiss it.

He laid her down on the bed in a careful and gentle manner under the watchful eye of the protective father figure. He stared at her a little longer, as if hoping that it would solve the puzzles that surrounded her.

Suddenly more aware of the fact that Andrew was staring at him with such an odd look that even Watari had stopped in the middle of the sentence, he met the man's prying gaze.

They openly studied each other, and L was aware that for some reason he had caught the man's attention when he saw a flash of intrigue in the man's eyes.

"Who are you two again?"

For some reason, it felt as if a simple lie would not be sufficient to convince the man.

~ Scene Break ~ Haruko ~ Ai's Orphanage

Haruko woke up with a pounding headache.

She laid there for a minute, coming to terms with what just happened. 'Alright, robber, nearly getting myself and Mio-chan killed, then fainted.'

Nodding to herself that she indeed remembered what happened, she got up and smiled as she saw that her father had at least left one of the smaller lights, her orange lamp, on for her.

Ignoring her headache, she stumbled down the stairs, knowing that if her father wasn't at the side of her bed waiting for her to wake up then there must be something that kept him occupied.

She found him in the large living room watching the children as they tried to beat each other with a Mario game on the old game consoler that was connected to the television in the corner.

"No fair!"

"Cheater!"

"Oh you are soooo going down!"

"Ha! Try your best!"

The rest of the children were cheering their best friends on, some pushing each other to the side in an attempt to get them to screw up the game. Some of them weren't interested in the game, but as most of the time everyone liked to get together for just a little while, they just did they own thing. Mioko-chan was braiding Emi's long hair and had several hairpins in her mouth. Kazue was reading a book, leaning against on of the other girls that was watching the boys bicker with eachother.

"Hi Dad. Are you alright, sorry for the scare." She said, wrapping her warms around his neck to hug him from behind.

"Hime." He smiled at her. "It's alright… bad things can happen. Just…"

They didn't move for a while, just allowing themselves to treasure the moment for a moment.

"…just don't do something like that again alright?"

"What do you mean?" She winched, hoping that the pair men – who she had already deduced that they had brought her home hadn't told her all about what she had done.

"Putting your life in danger." He grasped her hands, and squeezed her hands for a moment.

"Dad, you know that I couldn't have done anything t-"

"I know I know… just please try?"

There was a silence.

"Alright, I will try Dad."

Her father seemed a lot more cheerful with her promise and moved the stand up. "Great… We will talk later about if you want to?" She nodded, not feeling like discussing it right at that moment. "Now I have already spoken to Mio-chan and though she surely will have some nightmares about it, it is unlikely for her to have any troubles with it in about a few weeks." He shared a bit of the psychological observations with her as they both moved to the kitchen.

"Also, Duncan decided to move out soon, seeing as he finished school and wants to find a job."

A pause.

"I will miss him."

"I know Hime, but we can't keep everyone here, they have to find their own path. He didn't want to go to college yet, saying that he would need to save some money first."

Haruko knew how much Andrew detested the fact that he couldn't really afford all of them to go to college, but it was the reality that was behind it.

"Speaking of college, Haruko…"

"No… I'm alright."

"I have found the folders in your room."

Haruko shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to admit that she had been thinking about leaving once or twice.

"Dad you guys need me… I want to study eventually, but that can wait. Besides, why would I learn more from them when I can learn from the famous American ex-psychologist?"

Haruko laughed as Andrew puffed out his chest. "That is right… but I still want to you to find your own path sometime Haruko." He reminded her gently, but dropping it.

"For now, my path is with my little family Dad. Now get to bed, you look like crap and tell me about your observations of the men that brought me home."

Andrew scowled at first, before a sly grin appeared on his face. "Oh really, the two man of the younger man that looked pretty interesting?"

Haruko refused to acknowledge the fact that she felt her cheeks heating up ever so slightly. "Dad! No! I'm just curious."

"Ah _curious_." He mimicked her pronunciation.

"Daaaad!"

~ Time Break ~ About two weeks later~ Ai's Orphanage

"Katsu, if you even dare to run off before you have done the dishes you can say bye to our next spar!"

Said boy paused in mid-run, freezing, before his shoulders slumped and he turned towards Haruko whom had her back turned to him all the time.

"How to you know that." He grumbled.

"The moment you aren't trying to be loud, I just know that you are up to something" She simply said, smirking and threw him the towel to dry the dishes.

Duncan walked into the room, his hair being as spiky as always with the amount of gel that he had put in there and laughed at the unfortunate boy. "Yeah Katsu, try being sneaky by not being sneaky. Or better, try to be less loud in your normal daily routine. My eardrums would be greatful."

"Why youu!."

"Duncan, don't provoke him please. Are you here to say goodbye?"

"Yeah I'm leaving." He smiled at her and drew her in a tight hug. "I will visit…"

"Good luck. I'm sure you will be alright and if you ever need anything."

"I know where to go." He winked at her. "Thanks Sis." They hugged one more time before she let go and he left after saying goodbye to Katsu. The young boy tried to act as if he wouldn't miss him, putting on a tough act but as they started doing the dishes Haruko ignored the fact that his eyes were tearing up ever so slightly.

"You know… you are loud."

"Am not!"

"Yes you are."

"Am not!"

Haruko dumped some foam of the soap on him. "Then stop yelling." She teased.

Their little foam war began, and Haruko couldn't help but smile that her mission of distracting Katsu was a success.

"Haruko!"

Andrew's voice cut the fight off, both of them drenched by now but neither of them cared. "Yeah?" She yelled back, wiping of her face after stealing Katsu's twoel.

"You have a visitor!"

Haruko frowned. It was rare for anyone to visit her here. They always called when they wanted to meet, though with her cell phone still missing because the police still hadn't returned it might have made someone worried.

"Coming!" She yelled back.

"Haruko, not so loud!" Katsu mocked her as he stole his towel back and started to clean up. "Go ahead, I will do the rest."

"Thanks Katsu-kun." She ruffled his hair affectionately as she passed.

Knowing that there was nothing she could do about her current appearance, she just made sure that her hair wasn't ruffled. Andrew stepped aside as she neared the door and her eyes widened in surprise not expecting to meet him again.

"Dave! Hello again!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" She glanced to the side, where his old companion smiled at her and introduced himself as 'Walter'.

"Nice to see you well Haruko-san." He said with a grandfatherly air around him that just made her smile at him in return.

Dave waved a bit awkwardly. "Hi Haruko-chan. I was hoping that you could help me find information about something."

Haruko stared at him as she studied his appearance. There was still that feeling that there was something… off about him. She frowned as she noted the dark circles underneath his eyes that were visible even though he was once again wearing those sunglasses of his.

"Sure come on in." She stepped to the side.

"No its alright, I came to drop off this for you. I think it is yours."

Her eyes lit up as she saw her mobile phone that he was holding out to her. "Thanks! How did you get it?"

"They must have assumed it was mine."

Haruko's eyes twitched as she swore that he was lying. Still she wasn't sure, so instead kept to watching him a bit suspiciously.

"Well, alright thank you for bringing it me. Now what do you want information about? I'm not really an expert on anything.

"What do you know about Shinigami?"

Haruko blinked at his odd question.

"God's of Death? I don't really kno-"

"I have seen your collection of books in your room, I'm sure you know more about them than I."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you…"

"Why are you so fascinated by Shinigami Haruko-chan?" He once again cut in, leaning a bit closer to her and she felt her hand twitch with the urge to hit him if he came even a little bit closer.

Her eyes flickered to the older man. Walter stood there as if it was the most common thing for Dave to do.

"That is none of your bus-"

"Why? If it is a simple hobby of yours it surely wouldn't be a problem?"

"I have been fascinated by the stories yes." Haruko finely admitted though the urge of hitting him became stronger.

"Then tell me about Shinigami."

Haruko huffed and decided that it wouldn't be a good idea for her to slam the door on their guest so allowed him to come in. "Please sit down in the kitchen, I will get my books."

"Thank you."

She shot her father a look and then glanced to the door to ask him silently to take care of their guests. He nodded stood up again as she went upstairs to get her book.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" She muttered under her breath.

Haruko kicked her bed lightly as she came in. How the hell did he know about that? She had been having dreams about Shinigami for a long time, but that had been years ago. Her dreams were strange, she knew that, but that had been the reason why she had been looking for explanations.

Now he thought she was some lunatic?

Why did he want to know about them anyway?

She grumbled, took the book and went downstairs.

Stupid git.

"Did you know Shinigami love apples?"

Surprised, she swirled around to come in eye to eye with those large black eyes that had been on her mind for a long time.

What the hell?

_Flash._

"_An eye for an eye." Before he knew it, he was thrown back by a kic-_

_Flash. _

He was too close. She stumbled back in an attempt to get more space.

"Excuse me?"

She watched the eyes staring at her intently, and she suddenly just knew that he wasn't just an ordinary guy. There was something mysterious about him, those damn eyes, his damn hair and his behaviour were just so odd that she couldn't get a good picture of him.

"Did you know Shinigami love apples?" He repeated in the same monotone voice, studying her as if he was searching for a reaction.

"What? No… I didn't?" It came out more as a confused question – which she was – and it frustrated her. Suddenly she felt herself become angry.

"Who the hell are you?"

**~ End Chapter ~**

Now, the real question is whether L thinks her to be a possible suspect or not…

Yes, no, maybe? 1 percent? 4 percent?...

Anyway, I decided to let them meet again soon, hope you like the decision. Please share your opinion and review!

~DreamYin

Vocab:

No possibly unknown words this time right?


	6. Tense Moods

**Summary**: The Death Note was never meant to fall in human's hands. Trying set things right, Light is granted a second chance. Of course, all isn't easy, as this doesn't mean he will have the same identity... Will L be safe and Kira defeated?. FemLight/L.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Death Note characters, but I do like to place my claim on Haruko's and Mioko's characters.

**Note:** Please don't be too harsh on me for any mistakes. I do not have a beta. I will correct them later when I reread and find them, or you can let me know of course!

It took a while, but finally: here is the next chapter.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: Tense Moods**

"Who the hell are you?"

Haruko felt annoyed, incredibly annoyed with the guy in front of her.

"_Did you know Shinigami love apples?" _What kind of question was that?

Another stab of a light pain in her head made her clench her fists and grit her teeth.

_Flash_

_I grinned as I took my pen, a perfect message to provoke him was forming in my hea-_

_Flash_

Haruko shook her head, suddenly feeling slightly claustrophobic as the young man in front of her ignored her personal space. The flashes were increasing and it made her anxious. Dave was too close again. Why did it keep happening when he was so close? Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

She watched him warily as he didn't answer her. She hadn't been expecting that. Secretly she had been afraid that he would laugh at her strange question. After all, she had almost made sound like an accusation.

Yet, instead of laughing, the young man in front of her – he was still too close – paused. He actually paused.

Now Haruko knew for sure that something fishy was going on.

He was staring intensely at her and she found it annoying, but she was also puzzled by the fact that Dave was actually remaining very silent and stopped bothering with questions once she had said that.

Haruko narrowed her eyes in suspicion. For someone to be so 'interested' in other people's hobbies and information, he surely didn't like being questioned about his own.

"I'm Dave." He answered blankly. "Are you avoiding my question?" He murmured.

'Yes I am.' She thought, but remained silent and decided to try and match his blank stare. It was at that moment that she noticed something very small.

Ever so slightly, his voice had become softer, she noted. Had he not been invading her personal space she might not have noticed. It was almost an automatic reaction for Haruko to think back to the lessons she had had with her father and all the theories she had read about the use of voices and psychology in her books. The softening of one's voice is often related to the willingness to share one's opinion and secrets and –

She mentally continued to go over the information and frowned.

"Are you avoiding _my question_ by trying to question me whether I'm avoiding to answer your previous question?" She shot right back in realisation. He really was trying to evade her question.

Dave actually seemed to smirk at her reaction.

"Very clever Haruko-chan, to use my own question against me. However I would still like to know what you know about Shinigami."

"And I would still like to know who you are." Haruko countered, feeling far too stubborn to let this go.

Had Haruko been anywhere else but in her home and had 'Dave' been someone else with whom she had not felt such a strange connection with, she would have just agreed to tell him what she knew if it got him away from her.

Yet, unfortunately for the young man in front of her, this was not the case.

He was hiding something and Haruko wanted to find out what it was.

Was his name really Dave? It somehow didn't… fit. His Japanese seemed too be nearly too perfect for him to be an American or European, who usually could be indentified by a slight accent. Yet he didn't look very Japanese. It was his appearance that was confusing her too, as if it wasn't… odd enough?

However, except for his big eyes and slightly hunched back, he didn't seem too odd at all.

Why was this seemingly normal young man suddenly so unnatural in her eyes when he looked perfectly normal?

"Haruko-chan."

Her attention was brought back to his dark eyes, which seemed to look right through her. "Yes?" She managed to say without stuttering.

"Please tell me what you know." He requested.

He was asking her in a different way then before. Haruko frowned ever so slightly as her eyes roamed over his face, taking in his expression. She was once again very aware how close he was and she clutched the couple of books closer to her chest in an act of self-protection. His expression, though very blank looked sincere, so Haruko let out a soft sigh.

"I never read anywhere that Shinigami love apples. I don't know how you came up with it, but it seems very unlikely."

She had expected him to back off but he just continued to stand there as if he was very much used to invade someone's personal space. That or he just didn't have any social manners or was slightly socially awkward.

She was slowly starting to think it was the latter.

"Could you please take a step back Dave-san?" She asked.

The request seemed to puzzle him ever so slightly but he complied. "I apologise, I wasn't aware that I was making you uncomfortable."

The way he said it nearly made her flush, hoping that he didn't think that she had been embarrassed to stand so close to him simply because he was a boy.

"Thank you. It's alright." She decided to stick to that and turned around.

"Now let's get to the kitchen alright?" She muttered as the two of them walked down the stairs.

What had she gotten herself into?

~ Scene Break ~ L ~

Shinigami's were pretty scary creatures, L decided. He thought he was lucky that there was a nearly hundred percent chance that they didn't exist.

L found out that once Haruko started, she had difficulty to stop talking about her little obsession. L would have found it annoying if the things she said would have been totally rubbish, but much to his surprise she kept a bit of logic in the whole illogical subject.

"The chance for them to exist is very small. After all, the human imagination always seems to think up reasons for unexplainable things to happen, even though they have to come from their imagination."

She continued to share various passages with him, before she decided that it was enough.

"I know they are seen as just mythical creatures, but I still think there are things in the world that can not be explained. Yet there might be a chance that they are one of the few things that are not created from someone's imagination. So there might be a possibility that they exist." She finished and looked at him with smile.

Well L didn't agree with that last part, but for once he decided to keep himself from trying to provide proof that said otherwise. Instead he decided to mock her in a teasing way.

"So where do you think that wizards hide themselves?"

Haruko actually stared at him, a flash of hurt appeared in her eyes and she suddenly stood up. "I don't believe in wizards." She muttered and started to put the books on a pile so she could carry them.

L's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected her to react so negatively.

"I apologise Haruko-chan, it was not my intention to – "

"Yeah yeah, whatever." She muttered, interrupting him.

Interrupting was one of the few- alright many things – that L hated. His eyes narrowed and he followed her back to her room.

"Please do not interrupt me when I'm trying to apologise Haruko-chan." He drawled, already finding it annoying enough that he had to apologise.

Placing the last book back in her bookcase, she turned around to face him.

"Well, please do not make fun of me simply because I have an odd hobby. I do not believe in other mythical creatures." She stated, glaring at him.

Mentally L's eyes narrowed.

"Why not?" That didn't seem to make sense.

~ Scene Break ~ Haruko ~

"Why not?"

She had been afraid that he would ask her that.

"Just…" Haruko thought back to her dreams and all those strange flashes that had gotten her to study the shinigami so intently. That wasn't his business at all. He would think she was a freak, which she was.

It wasn't normal.

"… because." She finished lamely.

"Now please, if you don't have any intention of telling me who you really are then let me escort you to the door." The longer she was in his presence the worst her headache became. She needed a break right now.

"I have another question."

"I'm very sorry but I don't feel well enough to continue this."

_Flash_

"_Are you Kir-"_

_Flash. _

She shook her head again. She needed some fresh air. She had to get away from him, so she would stop wondering whom he was. So she would stop getting those strange voices in her head. She nearly ran to the door, but suddenly the dete-

Detective? Another stab of pain.

"I only have one simple question."

"_-kun, are you Kira? _

"Dave-san, I'm really-"

"_Are you Kira?" _

"-not feeling well right now."

"_-percent sure that you are Kira"_

Haruko held her head in her hands, a headache pounding painfully.

"_Are you Kira?" _

"No."

"_Are you Kira?" _

"No."

"Haruko-chan are you-?"

"I'm not!" She denied loudly. "Who are you?" She growled out, her head throbbing even more.

She needed to know. Why did this feel like it was so important.

"Haruko-chan, I'm –"

Another flash interrupted her.

_Flash_

_Suddenly she was sitting in a big hall, filled with many teenagers. She was sitting on the front row. A strange boy sat next to her, staring intently at her, which unnerved her ever so slightly. His ruffled dark hair fell into his eyes, shadowing them ever so slightly as his wide blank eyes were boring into her, trying to find all her secrets._

"_I'm L"_

_Flash_

As soon at those words were whispered, everything in front of her collapsed and she was once again back in her room, groaning as she sat against the wall with her hands in her had. Lifting her head she came eye to eye with the same eyes that she had seen before.

He was L! Her eyes widened so slightly but she quickly got into control of herself. She knew who he was now and she felt the headache staring to disperse.

Haruko nearly whispered his title in shock but she kept herself in check. She was not going to provoke the world's most famous detective that was searching for Kira of all things. That was why he was in disguise!

"Who are you?" She questioned again this time staring him in the eyes, searching for any willingness to tell her.

"I'm Dave." He repeated slowly and kept studying her as she stared at him. She could practically see the questions in his eyes. What was going on with her? Was she ill like her father? She seemed to feel better now but why does she insist on asking who I am. A flash of suspicion followed.

Haruko sighed, and was well aware that he kept watching her as she rubbed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I have a huge headache. I'm fine for a moment. What did you want to ask me?" She looked at him again, as he crouched down in front of her.

He remained silent for a moment before he once again leaned a little closer. Haruko didn't even bother to comment on it this time. It was as if she was getting used to it.

"What do you think of Kira?"

Haruko laughed. "What?" Of course she knew the reason behind that question but the situation was too absurd for her.

He remained silent as if to say. 'I know you heard the question, just answer it.'

Haruko leaned back again the wall. She had a feeling that this was not just a question that only needed a 'Kira is the best' or 'Kira is bad' answer. So she took her time and searched for the right words.

She had heard of Kira of course. She could understand where his ideas came from, but the moment he tried to kill L – who was luckily alive in front of her – showed that he would be ready to kill any opposition even if they were innocent. It was at that moment that Kira had lost the little bit of support he had ever had of her.

"Kira is someone that feels that the world is a rotten place and wants to create a brighter future. This part of intentions I find completely understandable and agreeable." She ignored the feeling that L was mentally glaring at her. "However, the power for one person to decide who has to die… that is difficult to accept. I am a firm believer that everyone deserves a second chance if he or she shows that he or she wants to redeem him or herself."

Haruko slowly forgot that she was talking to the world's best detective and her eyes glazed over.

"The moment I saw the replacement of L killed… I know that he was actually a convict and probably deserved death penalty…" She paused again, her thoughts started to get messed up. "We had been watching a program with the children. They were so scared when they saw him have that heart attack and to know that Kira is close…" She shook her head to get back on track.

" I do not think that Kira has the right to do what he doing, but I like to think that the intention behind it had been pure." She eventually said.

"What changed?" A soft drawl interrupted her thoughts and she made eye contact again.

"The power must have gone to someone's head." She shrugged, showing that she didn't know.

The headache was gone and she stood up, offering a hand to the crouching detective in front of her. It was a pretty natural reaction for her, as a closer social interaction comes very easy to someone who lives with more than a dozen children under one roof.

L thought seemed actually surprised by her gesture.

At that moment, Haruko realised that the man in front of her was indeed socially inexperienced. He was the detective that had been hiding away all this time, anonymous behind a computer. That must mean that he didn't interact much with people at all.

And if people found out who he was, most surely wouldn't dare to get close to him, especially with Kira on the lose.

Even though she had expected that she would be uneasy about the whole situation herself, Haruko actually didn't care if he was L. Much to the disbelief of the children around her, she wasn't afraid of Kira either.

It was as if… she knew he wasn't that big and powerful after all. Not that she ever had shared that with anyone.

Anyway, glancing at the Kira-detective in front of her, she made her decision. She was going to treat him as 'Dave' if she had the choice.

"Come on 'Dave-san', I'm not going to bite." She actually teased him.

The silent little dare did its work and L grasped her hand when he heaved himself up, though he still didn't know why that would have been useful. He was more than capable to stand up himself after all.

As soon as he stood, he let her hand go. He never had been very fond of contact. However the strange dazzling feeling that had erupted in their hands when they touched, didn't go unnoticed by either of them.

~Scene Break ~ L ~ Outside the Orphanage~

Haruko lead the pair towards their car and shook hands with both of them. She kept hold of L's hand as she smiled at him.

"Nice to have met you, _Dave._" She said smiling, which caused L to narrow his eyes at her.

"Why are you so suspicious of me, Haruko-chan?" The detective asked, not showing the slight discomfort he was feeling as she still didn't let go of his hand.

"I just don't be_lll_ieve people easily." She had accidently let it slip before she noticed it.

Mentally, L's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Did she realise who I am?' Had she been playing with him all this time? Was she Kira after all? Did she know Kira? Suddenly there were to many variables. He couldn't risk it. Kira was too dangerous.

He was going to keep an eye on her.

Haruko let his hand go, but frowned when the detective in front of her actually grasped her hand a little firmer than necessary.

Aw crap, she just had to be stupid and say stuff like that, didn't she?

"That is a very good characteristic Haruko-san." L actually smiled at her and Haruko suddenly felt uneasy. "Then who do you think I am?"

The girl in front of him bit her lip, unsure whether to actually share this information with him.

"Police or something." She eventually conceded.

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"The way you took care of the robber. Not to forget that they do not simply send a piece of evidence to the wrong person. Especially when they told me to pick it up at a later date."

The detective paused and regarded her silently once more.

"You are very observant, Haruko-chan." He complimented her.

They were still very much aware of the fact that they were holding hands, but it had seemingly changed into some kind of game, because neither of them wanted to be the first to let go.

"I would be very interested in having someone like you work for me."

Haruko's eyes widened in surprise. "work?" Was he really asking her to work for him? She suddenly felt suspicious herself.

"I'm afraid, whatever this 'work' would be, that my father and the children need me to help out." Haruko defended herself.

"I'm sure I can find suitable replacement for you."

"The children don't like strangers." She countered easily.

"I'm sure they will manage." He batted it away.

As Haruko opened her mouth for another excuse, he cut her off.

"I can make sure your father gets all the care he needs." He stated, realising what he had said was slightly under the belt.

He knew that Watari had already been planning to donate a good amount of money after their second visit and to help this David, but if this got her to cooperate he wouldn't mind making her think otherwise. If it took blackmail for her to come with him than so be it.

Haruko actually paused and he saw the worries resurface in his eyes.

"You are kidding right?"

"I am not."

"I do not want to work for you." She stated. She was lying of course, it was her dream to become a profiler and this would be a golden chance, but she didn't like the fact that she was making herself suspicious. Still, he was too powerful to completely ignore.

She liked Dave a lot better.

"You know who I am."

She remained silent.

"How?"

It was as if she had switched a button in her head as suddenly thoughts melted together to form a plan that would talk her out of this sudden suspicion. Mentally she straightened herself. She might still be forced to go with him in the end, but she would not let him know of the strange visions she had.

She kept her silence and allowed a bit of her fear to shine through.

~ Scene Break ~ L ~ 

L was getting annoyed by her silence. She was stubborn that was for sure, but she was also afraid. Was she afraid of him? Was she afraid of leaving her family that much? Her father was ill, but with some specialised and expensive care he would be taken care of.

His other hand grasped her arm to get her attention.

"Tell me."

She shook her head, refusing to.

"I do not want to resort to less peaceful measures." L continued to drawl.

"What do you think of Kira?" She whispered to him, a bit of her fear showing though her eyes. It took a moment for L to realise that she was referring to one of the things he had asked her.

"Are you Kira?"

That question sure was effective enough to throw him slightly off balance. Mentally his eyes narrowed. One of her shoulders was tensed more than the other. Her hand kept twitching nervously and her eyes…

L clenched his hands, causing the girl to winch. "No. I am not." He watched her carefully as some of the tension in her shoulders relaxed.

She was a very bright girl and it would only take a little more time for her to figure it out from there. She would be a valuable asset to the team. After all her father was a very good psychologist. He had been a very good profiler in his youth. The books in her room had shown her own interest.

"So are you willing to come with me?"

"But why-" Haruko's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief. "You're…You're L."

Nope, he wasn't going to let her go anymore.

"Watari."

"I apologise Miss Haruko." The voice of the silent man that had been standing not so far away them made her turn in surprise.

"Hey what the hell are you-mmm!" She felt the piece of cloth cover her mouth before

~ Scene Break ~ Haruko ~ Couple of hours later ~

She woke up in a very comfortable bed. It was soft. It was puffy and she was completely content under the warm and thick blankets.

Of course, the reality quickly caught up with her.

Her eyes snapped open and she was eye to eye with a pair very familiar eyes. He was too close again. For a moment, she didn't move and just watched her reflection in his eyes.

"Are you Kira?"

The sudden question startled her and with a yelp she pushed herself away from him- and off the bed. A hand managed to grab her arm and pull her to him, so that she didn't land headfirst on the floor.

Instead she managed to roll over so she landed on her knees. Luckily for her the floor had a carpet and was soft enough that she didn't get hurt.

"What no!"

"Why are you doing this?" Haruko started to panic and scurried back until her back hit the wall.

L, however, ignored her question and crouched down in front of her. He was once again to close, but

"Haruko, are you Kira?"

"Wha- No!"

_Flash_

"_Are you Kir-"_

_Flash. _

"I'm not Kira!"

Her hand shot up to her temple, rubbing it under the suspicious eye of the detective. This reaction was intriguing and suspicious.

"I insist that we discuss our situation with your father Haruko-chan."

"You freaking kidnapped me!"

"No, I arrested you as a suspect. I assure you it was one of the most gentle manners."

"You have got no proof!"

A couple of photos were put in front of her.

"L, did you know that Shinigami love apples have-" She paused. That didn't seem to fit. It didn't fit. That last part was a fluke.

"That's not right" She muttered, putting her hand on the picture in an attempt to figure out what was wrong with it.

"You seem to know an aweful lot, Haruko-chan."

She actually growled at him.

"That is no proof!"

"You knew I was L before you started that little act of yours."

She stilled.

"I would compliment you on your acting skills, but I am on a whole other level at detecting lies."

"Now tell me. How did you know who I was?"

She glared at him and gritted her teeth. He once again saw the determination in her eyes. The determined look that he had first respected now appeared on her face while she was facing against him. She would not tell him anything today.

He reached in his pocket and threw her a mobile phone. "Watari has _explained _the situation to your father. Please calm the man down and tell him you are alright."

**~ Scene Break ~ L ~**

If looks could kill, L wouldn't have had to worry about Kira anymore, for he would be already dead.

He turned around, knowing that he would be able to watch her every move through the cameras he had installed in the room.

"If I'm gonna be stuck here, than at least take your wig off _L. _I wouldn't find it very comfortable myself."

He paused and looked at her with wide and unnerving eyes.

The detective knew that she was not Kira. She did not fit the profile. She hadn't been able to kill anyone while he had been staying at her place and the way she had shared her opinion of Kira, she had been completely truthful.

But more important, his gut feeling told him so. The one feeling that he had always followed.

However, she was dangerous. Very dangerous if Kira got his hands on her. He would not allow that to happen.

His hand reached for his wig, and with a tug, the dark stresses of hair fell back down over his eyes. He ruffled his hair ever so slightly before he gave her one last look and exited the room.

He was all to aware of the surprised look in her wide eyes that followed him until he was out of sight.

**~End Chapter ~ **

I'm unsure about this chapter… I'm thinking about rewriting it and going for another direction in the fic, letting her remain in the orphanage a little longer and have L visit her a couple more times while the story proceeds.

So, I am asking you guys: What you think?

In the mean time, I think I will work out the other idea. See which I like better. Please let me know!


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